Blood Brothers
by TwoSoulsEntwined
Summary: Harry is always overshadowed by his brother, Avery, who was the Boy who Lived. That was why he ran away. The twins met up during Hogwarts and a rivalry was made. Unbeknown to all, Harry had plans and they affected the entire wizarding world. Powerful!Harry.
1. Chapter 1 The Boy who Lived

_**BLOOD BROTHERS**_

_A sibling may be the keeper of one's identity, the only person with the keys to one's unfettered, more fundamental self. ~Marian Sandmaier_

**Hey everyone! This is my first time writing a HP fanfic but I've been reading loads of it. I noticed so many twins-fic that I begun to wonder what if Harry did really have a twin brother? Yes, this is a Dark!Harry fic but I assure you, I have something completely different in plan.**

**Disclaimer: ****I do NOT own Harry Potter and any of its characters. I only own this story and the original characters though J.K Rowling can take full credit for the setting and everything that's hers. But the rest of it is mine.**

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**Chapter 1: The Boy who Lived**

A cloaked man stalked up a cobbled pathway, shooting menacing looks at every dressed-up child who passed his way. He hated children and seeing them enjoying the sweets that they had garnered from adult Muggles just made him want to hex them. He did not like to be reminded about how he never enjoyed his childhood life. Shaking his head, he hurried up the street, ignoring the funny looks he was receiving from the children.

He halted in front of a large mansion, his destination. He looked up at the grandeur of its exterior, noting the obvious display of mundane protective spells all over the house. He smirked and placed his hand on the gate, knowing that he would not be affected by the numerous wards. The strongest ward was down due to their mistaken trust in a 'friend' who was in fact, his follower. With the Fidelio's Charm gone, he could enter the house without any difficulty. Everything was going according to the plan- the plan that he had made from the moment he had heard the prophecy from another loyal servant's mouth. The prophecy indicated an enemy that could destroy him and he was not going to let the prophecy come into play. He was going to stop it and thus the plan was simple. Kill the Potters.

He pushed open the gate, the wooden creation swinging backwards, allowing him to continue his journey up to the mansion. He walked into the massive garden and headed immediately towards to the front door. Walking at a brisk pace, he showed no hurry but as well as no leisure in his quest to dispose of the family that was now powerless to defend themselves against him. He was sure he was going to finish them off tonight. Pulling out his wand from beneath his robes, he reached the door soon enough and whispered something, causing the door to click open. He placed a white hand on the doorknob before pushing open the door.

To his surprise, there seemed to be no one in the house. The long corridor was dark as were all the rooms on the ground floor. He could not hear anything with the exception of the ticking of a clock somewhere in the home. He frowned slightly before stepping into the house, onto the crimson carpeted floor. He wondered silently at the lack of human presence in the home. Standing at the doorway with only the light from the moon that was pouring in through the open door as the source of light in the corridor, he kept silent as he pondered on the missing Potters.

His head snapped up. He heard a small creak above him and he was quite certain it was not made by a rat. Smiling to himself, he hurriedly stalked to the large staircase in the middle of the corridor and climbed the long flight of stairs that took him to the second level. Once he was there, his smiled widened as he saw light pouring from beneath the closed door of a room. He walked over and found the door closed. Unperturbed, he cast the same spell that he did before. The door unlocked immediately and he pushed open the door almost calmly. _It's almost over, _he thought grimly in satisfaction, _no one would stand in my way again._

Greeted with a barrier of boxes and chairs, he snorted with amusement at how pathetic the Potters' resistance was. With a simple wave of his wand, the boxes and chairs flew aside, colliding against the dark blue painted walls, revealing a very terrified looking woman. She was beautiful, with red hair falling in waves behind her back and her emerald orbs were staring at him with unmasked fear but as well as, to his bemusement, determination. Despite the very fact she held no wand to protect herself from him, she stood upright before him, her arms thrown apart, as though it would protect her two babies who were sleeping peacefully before her. She met his eyes, her jaw set, not moving away from her spot in front of the two cribs. _How Gryffindor of her… _he thought, amused.

"Stand aside girl!" he snarled. He did not want to spare her at all- she was a filthy Mudblood afterall but he remembered a plea from a faithful servant to leave her alone. He felt weird to allow a Mudblood a chance to leave unharmed but he was feeling particularly generous today.

"No!" she screamed, as though the loudness of her voice could prove that she was not afraid. "Please have mercy! Do not kill my sons!"

"Move aside silly girl!"

"NO!"

_"Avada Kedavra."_

A green light filled the room. The woman dropped to the floor like a puppet that had its strings cut. He was fuming, not believing how incredibly stupid the woman was. He had offered her a rare chance to flee but she didn't, instead choosing to plead her way with him. His patience had worn thin and he saw no point to keeping her alive even if his servant so wanted her alive. _Poor Severus would have to deal with it, _he thought, kicking the dead woman as he moved towards the cribs.

Two baby boys slept peacefully in their respective cribs. They were dressed in identical garbs of red and gold- Gryffindor colours that hurt the man's eyes. They looked almost identical though their hair looked a little different. The child on his left had a slightly redder tinge to his hair though the one on the right has raven-black hair. Other than that, the man saw no differences. They were eerily identical but that was what you would expect from twins. Both of them were curled in a fetal position, the red haired one sucking on his thumb whereas the darker head was not. Neither woke up when their mother hit the floor. They just carried on sleeping, not knowing that they were going to be killed soon enough.

The man raised his wand again, pointing at nothing in particular as he pondered on which child to dispose off first. Shrugging, he pointed his wand at the dark haired one, letting a small smirk grace his thin lips as he basked in the triumph. He just had to kill off the two boys and be on his way. Nothing would stop him again. A fully fledged smirk rested upon his face and he whispered the Killing Curse, knowing that in a split second, nothing would stand in his way again.

But no. Unbeknown to him, he was wrong. The green light, the mark of the Killing Curse, went straight to the sleeping child but instead of blasting the child into smithereens as it should, it changed direction and rebounded upon the man. The man screamed, his magic erupting from his body as he felt his bones and skin disintegrate in a slow torture. Pain enveloped the man as his body and magic were ripped apart from each other. The magic slammed against the walls, causing the entire building to rumble. The chandelier that hung from the ceiling shattered as the man let out a blood-curling scream that was cut off the moment his body fell as ashes, no longer whole.

But silence did not fall as by then, the two boys were awake. The red haired one was howling in pain as one of the crystal shards from the exploded chandelier had sliced him across the cheek. Bleeding profusely from his wound, he continued screaming, calling his parents occasionally in his baby talk. His screams were drowning out his twin brother's bawls of pain. Unlike the red haired one, the younger twin was pressing a pudgy hand to his forehead where he fought extreme pain from the scar he received from the Killing Curse. The scar, a lighting-shaped one, was as thin as a hair and was barely visible. It was now hidden beneath the child's hand as his cries quietened to whimpers.

Just then, another man burst into the room, his brown eyes filled with fear as he took in the shattered remains of the room. His eyes dropped onto the dead body of his wife and the man hurried over to his wife, falling to his knees to pick up the woman in his arms. Totally oblivious to his sons, he stared at his wife's face, before finally bursting into tears. He rocked back and forth, cradling the woman's upper body in his arms, tears cascading down his face as he whispered her name over and over again. He did not respond when another man entered the room.

The man was tall and dressed in a silvery-blue robes that was decorated with gold stars. A long white beard fell all the way to his stomach with an equally long and white hair to match. A pair of half-moon spectacles rested on the man's long nose as he peered at the surroundings with shock. The gaze turned to sorrow when he took in the tear-jerking sight of James Potter hugging his dead wife. The elder man swallowed and walked over to James, resting a wrinkled hand on the grieving man's shoulder. He said nothing but instead observed the ashes and black robes that laid on the floor. His eyes travelled to the two children in their cribs as he realised what had happened. The Killing Curse's magical signature was still in the air and the man looked at the children, more specifically at the red-haired one who was still howling from the nasty cut on his cheek.

The elderly man stepped over the ashes and robes to the red-haired one to study the child. He knew then, that the child had survived the Killing Curse- a feat unheard of in the entire magical history. The man silenced the child with a comforting hand before turning to the child's father to arouse him from his sorrowful state to inform James that his sons were still alive and more importantly, one of them survived the curse.

That night, that fateful Halloween night, changed the lives of the Potter twins. The red head, Avery Evan Potter, was named the Boy Who Lived and his name was spread throughout the entire magical world. His name was known and he became famous in a single night as wizards from all over the world celebrated the boy's triumph over the Dark Lord. The child's name would be carried down magical history, known as the saviour. Albus Dumbledore, the elderly man who was hailed as the greatest wizard alive, confirmed that young Avery had destroyed Lord Voldemort. Dumbledore, being the leader of the Light and all, was already planning from the moment he saw Avery in that crib to make the child the beacon of hope to all who was against the Dark and Lord Voldemort.

However, unbeknown to all, the younger Potter twin, Harrison James Potter, watched Dumbledore and his father pick up his brother Avery to name him as the Chosen One as the lightning scar throbbed in pain. Harrison, or Harry, was never mentioned as the survivor of the Killing Curse. The one-year old child then did not know that he was going to grow in the shadow of his twin brother or that he would never be able to get the title of the Boy Who Lived that was rightfully his. The dark-haired child only cared to be picked up by his father and comforted from the dulling pain on his forehead. But James Potter never did. James never held his second son again.

With the naming of the wrong Potter twin as the Chosen One, the wheels of fate begun to spin in a different direction. The threads of destiny that changed and intertwined with one another, casting a very different future for Harry and Avery but they all lead to one identical end with very different endings. When their destinies were formed, the wheels off gate grinded to a stop, solidifying their fates as well as many others. Time moved on and everyone continued on with their lives, all moving towards that single end that would affect everybody. And it was all tangled with the threads of the Potter twins' lifes.

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**That's the first chapter! A little short but I hope you liked it! Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2 Flight

**CHAPTER 2: Flight**

**Hi, I'm back again with another chapter! I made this one longer but I'm not sure if it'll satisfy you. **

**Thank you to everyone who had reviewed and had this story as a favorite! Thanks for the alerts as well! I'm not complaining, but not reviewing would not help me much. So please review after reading! I would love to hear your comments!**

**So onto the story!**

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_**~*~ 4 years later ~*~**_

James Potter was fuming. His careful preparations for Avery's fifth birthday were incomplete. Owls had been sent to his friends, inviting them to celebrate his son's fifth year in this world and he had ordered the house-elves to whip up the best birthday lunch ever. His son was the best and as the best, Avery didn't deserve a birthday party less than spectacular. However, James had overlooked a tiny, little problem. It wasn't the absence of decorations or the lack of birthday presents (Avery would throw a tantrum if he received fewer presents than the year before). It was the mere presence of his second son, Harry, who was skulking around in the library again.

James never really thought about the kid. With Avery being the Boy who Lived, James focused all his attention on the elder twin, almost completely ignoring the fact that Harry was his son as well. James did not want to bother himself with the raising of Harry, not when he had the Boy who Lived to care for. Yes, he was proud of Avery and him being the one who vanquished Lord Voldemort, just swelled up James huge ego. As the father of Avery, he was famous as the sire of the Boy who Lived and James basked in that glory. He was always popular, firstly among Hogwarts students when he was a kid and now, he was the famous father of Avery Potter. The boy brought him fame and power and James could not help himself but to spoil his child immensely. Avery would bring pride to the Potters' name. He was a Gryffindor to the heart, brave and reckless, very much like his father. He too, loved the attention he was receiving from the wizarding world. Avery was very alike his father and James could not be gladder about it.

But Harry… He was an enigma on his own. Silent and observant, the child never shown any signs of Gryffindor bravery that James pride on. He preferred to spend his time in his library or his room that James was certain he did not deserve. Despite the room being the smallest in the huge mansion, James hated the very fact that Harry was living under his roof. Like a pebble in his shoe, James found his second son oddly irksome and annoying to look at. Maybe it was because of Harry's eyes. Those emerald green orbs that always seemed to shine. They were the exact duplicate of Lily's eyes. James could not bear to look at those eyes as they reminded him of his late wife who had died to protect his sons while he went out to a nearby bar. Everytime he found himself staring at Harry, those eyes always seemed to be accusing him of not being the perfect husband and father. For not being able to save his wife on time. He hated the feeling of being in the wrong and hated Harry even more for being the one who inherited Lily's expressive eyes. Not wanting to have anything with Harry, James avoided Harry, only speaking to his second son to order him around. Whenever James told Harry to get out of his sight, the child would look angrily at his father, causing him to be even more riled up. And that was when he would hurl the child out of the room, kicking him mercilessly as though he could beat out his anger and grief on the small form of the child. James did not see Harry as his son- he saw him as his tormentor. A reminder of his failure as a husband.

James gritted his teeth as he stormed upstairs to the second floor before proceeding to the library. Avery was, thankfully, still asleep in his huge room at the end of the corridor. Avery was like any normal child, sleeping up till noon or even later. But Harry was different. He was an early riser and James hated that. He was just like Lily- he copied her in every single aspect of her personality. From being a book worm to his life habits, Harry was nothing like James. The only hereditary trait he received from James was his looks. Harry was a carbon copy of him, something that he could not stand. Although Avery looked like him as well, he had a reddish tinge for his hair but other than that, he was all James. Harry looked exactly like James, from the rat's nest of a hair all the way down to the toes. Unsurprisingly, James found the alikeness infuriating. Avery should be the one who looked like him, not Harry who was not the Boy who Lived. Not Harry who James hated for acting exactly like his late wife.

He kicked open the closed doors that lead to the huge library. He never stepped into the library, not when he could help it. He was a Gryffindor, for heaven's sakes! He belonged out there, in the world, braving the Dark and playing Quidditch! He never liked reading and he was glad that he had graduated from Hogwarts. After spending seven years studying, he could not bear to waste any more of his precious time on books. He was talented anyway. He was the father of Avery and he was exceptionally great at Transfiguration. He saw no need to enhance his skills on spells any longer. The only skill that needs honing was his flying skills. Not that it was shabby- James prided himself on flying extremely well.

Glancing around, James could not spot the child anywhere. The great, domed library was lined with bookshelves that reached from the marble floor to the ceiling which, in fact, was made of glass, allowing light to pour through from outside. Books on everything under the sun surrounded James as he stepped into the cool interior of the library. A pile of books was sorted neatly on the mahogany desk in the middle- evidence of Harry's presence in the library. Not wanting to take another step further into the quiet library, James raised his voice and shouted, "BOY! Get your ass here right now!"

A ladder slid out from behind a tall bookshelf and came into view. At the top of the steps, a small child looked down on the man, his green eyes shining with a mixture of negative emotions. He was dressed in rags which were Avery's hand-me-downs. Avery was very careful to spoil his worn-out clothes before giving them to Harry. James always laughed when he saw Avery ruining his clothes. Avery was a natural prankster like himself and James felt that he did nothing wrong to allow Avery to torment his brother. Whatever Avery had done, it was all little harmless jokes afterall. Or so James thought.

Seething, he shouted at Harry, "Boy! Today is your brother's birthday and here you are, lazing your ass off! How dare you! Come and help with the preparations brat!"

Harry's gaze locked onto James from above, his green eyes flashing as Harry slowly replaced a heavy-looking book back onto the bookshelf. Eyes never leaving his father's face, the child begun to make his way down to the floor slowly, as though he was taking his time.

The moment when their eyes met, James felt his anger rise, overwhelming him. How dare the boy look him in the eye! That was a blatant act of disrespect and James could not stand it. He was even more furious when he saw how serious and slow the boy was, not hurrying down the steps of the ladder to obey him. Pulling out his wand, James pointed it at his son, firing a stumbling hex in his fury.

The hex hit Harry and with a shocked cry, he toppled off the ladder, his arms flailing as he fell from the top of the ladder and all the way to the marble floor. Landing with a 'thud', a sickening 'crack' followed after that, indicating the breaking of bones as Harry fell face-first onto the hard floor. His head banged against the floor and blood flowed from the open wounds on his head and body. The blood quickly stained the child's clothes as well as the floor, infuriating James even more. Sending a stinging hex at Harry, he was beside himself with anger when he saw how silent the child was. Harry did not even utter a single sound to express his pain, not even when he had fallen from a great height before being stung. Harry just lay on the floor, not moving as he allowed his blood to escape from his body feely.

James, even more livid now, stalked over to the child and placed a foot under the child's stomach before kicking him over. The child slammed into the bookcase, his head knocking against the hard wood. The impact caused some books to fall from the shelves and they fell onto Harry, adding more bruises to the child's collection. But again, he did not make a single indication of pain or fear. Instead, he was just closing his eyes as though waiting patiently for the pain to pass. He made no move to staunch the blood nor did he twitch when his father loomed over him, ready to attack the boy again.

Stamping his foot on Harry's face, James smirked in satisfaction when he heard the 'crunch' that indicated the breaking of the child's nose. Even more blood stained the floor and his anger slowly drained out, leaving only grim pleasure that he had disciplined his 'naughty' child. Removing his booted foot from the child's face, he watched carefully for any sign of disobedience on Harry's face, which was now a bloody mess. He showed no emotion and made no move to stop the heavy bleeding from his nose. With his arms limp by his side, he just kept his eyes closed and breathed slowly, as though nothing happened. James growled angrily, feeling particularly unhappy that Harry was not crying out in pain. He felt his temper rising again but it was hampered by his disgust with all the blood around.

"Clean up your mess boy." James decided to let the child live for another day. "I want you down in ten minutes or I'll give you the true meaning of pain."

With that, he spun on his heel and stamped his way out of the room, leaving his battered son behind. Slamming the library doors behind him, James Potter pushed all thoughts of Harry out of his mind and instead focused on his first and most important son, Avery.

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Harrison Potter slowly got up on his feet, using the bookcase as additional support. His legs trembled beneath him as he gently placed his weight on his broken foot to save his other leg from more pain. He raised a trembling hand to wipe away the crimson blood trickling down his lips so he did not need to taste the metallic liquid. He then swept his bloody hair from his eyes, noting that he needed a haircut soon. His eyes were still closed and he took a tantalizing, deep breath and opened them slowly, as though afraid of seeing the world again. When his eyes were finally fully open, he gazed around evenly, not surprised to find the floor splattered with blood and his clothes drenched with his lifeblood. Sighing, he pushed all thought of the stinging pain out of his mind and concentrated on the magic within him.

Shattered bones begun to piece themselves together and open wounds knitted together, stopping the bleeding all together. Harry concentrated on the magical repairing of his body, all too used to the uncomfortable feeling of his bones moving within him and the closing of his wounds. Not once did he allow the physical and emotional pain to interrupt him from healing himself. It was a tedious process and required all his attention. When the final bone snapped into place, Harry focused his magic on the bloodstains around him. _Disappear, _he thought and the stains vanished. Next, he made his clothes clean again before releasing his hold on his magic within him.

Harry looked around, allowing himself a grim smile to see that the library looked as though his father had never entered the room to beat him up. He never allowed his emotions to get in his way- he knew it was reckless to do so as petty emotions would cause him to do unreasonable actions and he, for one, hated to do anything stupid. It always resulted in pain, thanks to his father's beatings, but it also hurt his pride of being better than Avery.

He always enjoyed the fact that he was much more powerful than his so-called 'great' elder brother. He was the first one to show signs of magic, not Avery, at the age of three. He had stopped his elder brother from crashing into the wall with his toy broomstick which Avery was wildly flying around without much thought on controlling the toy. Avery was only inches from the wall when Harry made the broomstick, as well as its rider, to halt in mid-air. James was not pleased that he was the first one to show magical talent so he scolded Harry and grounded him for a month. But no punishment could dampen his ecstatic mood as he rushed to his room. He could do magic before Avery and he spent every minute of his free time to hone his skills, practicing and using his strong magical talent to do amazing wonders for him. He had long mastered the art of healing internally by using magic and he could block out pain and suffering from his mind easily. James never knew that he never felt the pain of his beatings for more than a year already.

Avery only begun showing his magical talent, however mediocre, a few weeks ago and James was nothing less than an over-excited parent, fawning over him as though he had done the most magnificent thing in the world. To be honest, Harry found it amusing that James saw Avery blowing up a toad from their garden as an excellent display of magic. Harry saw it as an unnecessary, deliberate show of magic- something only big-headed people would do. But then again, Avery was as big-headed as James and the elder twin begun using his newly surfaced magic to blow up anything that crossed his mind when he throws a tantrum. _How childish, _Harry thought bemusedly.

Harry looked at the wall clock, noting that he was to be down in five minutes or his father would blast him with a curse of some sort. Sparing no time, he hurriedly rushed to the desk in the middle of the library and pulled open a closed drawer.

He had been preparing for this very day. He was not surprised that no one remembered it was also his birthday. Afterall, who cared about the younger Potter twin when there was the Boy who Lived to pamper? He never remembered receiving a birthday wish, much less a present, from anyone for the past four years. Maybe his godfather, Remus Lupin, remembered but the man didn't do anything except to give Harry a small smile whenever he visited. That was all. No words were exchanged and Harry could not help but to hate him as well as his family for making it as though he never existed. He had tolerated their abuse for four years, never once complaining or rebelling against them as he knew he would never win. But now, he was tired of being just a part of the wall. He would not stand to be treated as something to be thrown aside when not needed, unimportant and uncared for.

Pulling out the haversack that Harry had found in the attic from the drawer, he quickly checked the leather interior, smiling slightly when he saw that the money pouch, clothes, books and some food were undisturbed. He made plans to find his way in the world, without his father or brother holding him back. While it seemed a little preposterous for a child that just hit the age of five to make his way around the world, Harry was certain he would and _could _survive on his own. His magic and his careful planning made it possible and his research on the outside world would help him along the way. Harry could not help but break out into small fits of giggles as elation filled him, as he realized that today was the day he would leave his 'home' and step out from the shadow of the Potter name.

Swinging the bag over his shoulder, Harry hurried out of the library and down the marble staircase, casting furtive glances around to make sure no one noticed what he was doing. He rushed down the stairs and went over to the front door and quickly pushed his leather bag into an empty porcelain vase by the door. He took a step back and once he was satisfied that no one would see his bag, he turned around and walked over to the sitting room where he was certain his father would be. Bracing himself for another day as a house elf, he entered the room, keeping a blank expression on his face. As always, James did not notice that Harry was wearing the same clothes as before, only not bloodstained. He did not see that Harry was not bloody or broken. He just growled out a couple of orders and the child hurriedly set off to do as his father ordered him to, ignoring a snigger from Avery who spotted him when coming down the stairs. All he cared about was to get the day over and done with. And by night time, he would be free.

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_**-Time skip-**_

James watched on proudly as he watched Avery unwrap the numerous presents in the sitting room. Avery occasionally cried out with happiness at the different presents, sometimes frowning when he received a book as his birthday gift. James couldn't understand the logic behind giving a five year old a copy of _A Guide to Self-Protection_ as a birthday gift. Raising an eyebrow at Dumbledore who was the one who gave Avery the book, he observed his son's unhappy face when he saw the book.

"Um…" Avery said hesitantly, "Thanks for the book Professor Dumbledore… I guess." The child ended softly, rolling his eyes at the same time, an action that went unnoticed by everyone.

Dumbledore smiled at the child, petting the boy's head absent-mindedly as he looked around the room. The Weasley children as well as Neville Longbottom, the heir to the Longbottom family, were surrounding Avery, their envious faces clearly obvious as the privileged child unwrapped even more of his presents. Arthur and Molly Weasley were laughing as they shared a joke with Sirius Black, Avery's godfather. James was ordering some house elves to prepare the refreshments and the outdoor party as well as some brooms for a game of Quidditch. Minerva was stirring her Butterbeer in a plush armchair, talking amiably with Augusta Longbottom, grandmother of Neville.

However, there was one person who looked out of place in the celebrations. Remus was staring out of a window, his gaze distant and his glass of Firewhisky seemed to be forgotten in his hand. He was frowning, totally oblivious to the chattering going on behind him. Dumbledore watched him, concerned, before approaching. His advance was not noticed by Remus and he started when Dumbledore called out his name gently. "Are you okay Remus?" he asked kindly.

Remus rubbed his forehead tiredly and replied, "I'm just worried, and that's all Albus. Harry's not here. I'm wondering where he is."

Harry. The second son of James and Lily Potter. Dumbledore then remembered that Remus was the younger twin's godfather. And he then realized that he had not seen Harry for a very long time. The last time he saw him was over a year ago. Not that he did not visit the Potters. Harry never seemed to be in sight.

Turning around, he called out to James. "James, where is little Harry?"

James visibly scowled when he heard his second son's name. He looked around the room and saw that the brat was nowhere to be seen. Not that he cared but since Dumbledore asked, he could at least show the boy to ease his mind as well as Remus'. Then they could all return to the main cause of the celebration- Avery. James quickly ordered the house elves to search for Harry and when he met Dumbledore's enquiring look, he shrugged, showing indifference to the boy's absence. He instead focused on Avery who was now hugging a black puppy that Molly had given him, causing a growl to come from Sirius, who eyed the new canine like a rival. James chuckled, many others following as they watched Sirius giving the puppy a well-aimed kick when it neared him. Old Padfoot would be having a competition for Avery's attention.

A loud 'pop' stopped everyone from their laughter and James turned around to see a distraught looking elf. "Master Sir!" the elf squeaked, terrified, "Pinky could not find Young Master Harry!"

"What?" James shouted. Everyone flinched at the bellow and fell silent as James strode out of the door and into the hallway. After a second's pause, they quickly followed, abandoning the celebration for a moment. Avery scowled as he followed his father reluctantly. He didn't like not being the center of attraction.

James sprinted up the stairs, aware of the heavy footsteps behind him. He rushed to the library and slammed the doors open. The library was dark and there was no movement within at all. James squinted, trying to see if the kid was hiding within the large room, perhaps behind a bookcase or something. But to his great disappointment, there was not a soul in the room.

"M-Master!"

James jumped in surprise and looked down to see Pinky holding a scrap of parchment in her hands. She was crying, tears streaming down her tomato nose as she held out the parchment to James. He took it and looked at her in bewilderment, confused to why she was crying her eyes out in that manner. The adults looked over his shoulder to take a look at the parchment while the children stood on their tip-toes. James tore his gaze from the weeping elf to take a look at the parchment:

_Dear Dad and Avery,_

_I'm gone. Don't look for me._

_Happy Birthday Avery. Hope you liked __**this**__ birthday present._

_I am tired of living in that house. I want to find my own way in the world._

_I hope you won't search for me. Not that you will anyway._

_Until we meet again I guess._

_-H_

Silence fell as they read the parchment, not completely understanding the meaning of the letter. But one thing remained for certain. Harry Potter had left home and he had no intention of coming back. James just stared at the short letter that was written in an elegant handwriting that should not belong to a five year old. Avery's mouth was hanging wide open, resembling a fish, as he read the words. He didn't understand most of the words but he got the first sentence _'I'm gone.'_ His little brother, the one he pulled pranks on, was gone and he didn't truly understand why.

The silence was broken by a howl from a hysterical godfather who did not stay a moment longer, but instead ran down the corridor and stairs before sprinting out of the front doors. Little did they know that that was the last time they saw Remus Lupin in a very long time.

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**Hope you liked this chapter! It's long enough I hope. A little weird, I know, for a five year old to run away from home but trust me, I seen many kids done that when they are young. **

**So please review! I would really appreciate the comments! Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3 A trip to Diagon Alley

**CHAPTER 3- A trip to Diagon Alley**

**Thank you to those who had reviewed! Thanks as well for all the favorites and alerts! You can't imagine how happy I am to know so many people read this story! So here's the newest chapter and I hope you will like it!**

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**~*~***_**6 years later*~*~**_

"Avery!" yelled James from the staircase, "Hurry up or else I'll leave you here and go to Diagon Alley myself!"

His words were followed with a loud grumble and a door slammed somewhere upstairs, causing James to flinch. He stepped back from the staircase, crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently. He fixed a glare at his son who slid down the railings, whooping all the way. He jumped off when he reached the end and looked up grinning at his father who was having a hard time on looking as fierce as possible. Avery snickered before pouting and giving his father a puppy look. James was pretty sure that Sirius had thought Avery that look. He felt his mouth twitching and he quickly turned around to stride to the fireplace. He hoped that Avery did not notice a small smile on his face.

As much as James would like to chastise his son for acting like a monkey on the loose, he could not bring himself to do it when Avery was going to leave in a month's time for Hogwarts. James wanted to pamper him as much as he could before he says goodbye to his little clone. He was so proud of him- Avery was finally going off to Hogwarts to start school. James knew that his son would bring about a new generation of Marauders and bring hell to the school. Whenever Avery did a successful prank, James would bristle in pride, loving the fact that his son had copied his very personality. Now he would carry on the legacy that James had made with Sirius, Remus and Peter back in the old days. He couldn't wait for the owls bearing complaints of Avery's pranks.

"Get over here Avery." James took a jar filled to the brim with Floo powder and held it out to Avery to grab a handful of the grayish powder. Avery jumped into the fireplace and dropped the fistful of powder. A roaring green flame erupted immediately, engulfing the child in it.

"Diagon Alley!" he shouted but that was before he shot his father a grin. The child disappeared along with the flames. James smiled at the fireplace where his beloved son was a few seconds ago before following his son's actions. Soon, he was off to Diagon Alley to meet up with a family of red-heads.

* * *

"James!"

James looked up from his dusty robes to see a plump, red headed woman rushing towards him. James smiled and hurriedly used his wand to clean his robes before greeting the woman. "Hello Molly," he said and nodded to the large Weasley family behind her. Avery was already chatting with Ron, the youngest son of Arthur and Molly Weasley, who was also starting Hogwarts this year.

"Let us go to Gringotts then," he said and motioned for the company to follow him out of the Leaky Cauldron and into the cramp backyard. Using his wand, he tapped a couple of bricks on the wall above the dustbins. The wall immediately melted away into an archway leading to the famed Diagon Alley, the street which held every wizard's needs.

The street was packed with wizards as usual. Adults wore robes and pointy hats of different colors while most of the children wore Muggle clothing with a cloak. Most children came through Muggle London so Muggle clothing was essential for them to be unnoticed by the Muggles. However, there were some children wearing robes and those children were usually purebloods who did not want their so-called 'perfect' skin to be tainted by Muggle clothes. James frowned at a couple of passing kids who wore silken robes before stepping into Diagon Alley, leading the company to the white marble building called Gringotts. As they weaved their way through the crowd, James could not help but to throw his head up when he heard the surrounding wizards greeting him and Avery. Avery grinned, basking in the attention, as always. The wizarding children gaped at Avery and he smirked at them. James was filled with pride as he heard cheers for the Boy who Lived as well as his father.

Soon enough, they reached Gringotts. Climbing up the white steps, they hurried into the bank which was, again, filled with wizards wishing to withdraw or deposit money. But unlike the noisy Diagon Alley, the interior of the bank was quiet as the goblins would not stand for noise. Goblins, the keepers of the money and the bank, were attending to their customers needs with, what looked like, bored expressions on their faces. James frowned at them, feeling irritated as he knew that he would not receive any kind of special treatment from those creatures.

He led the company to the middle of the bank where the shortest line to the withdrawal counter was. He sighed impatiently, even more irritated that they would have to wait a long time before being able to withdraw some money. He pondered over using Avery's title and his popularity to get to the front of the line. People would love to help the Boy who Lived in any way afterall.

"Well, well, well. Isn't it the infamous Potters and Weasleys."

James spun around and growled under his breath when he saw a tall man with long blonde hair standing behind him. The man was dressed impeccably in robes of green that looked as though it was made of emerald silk. In his hand, he held a black walking stick with a silver serpent head as the handle. His face was of someone with regal background- high cheekbones, slightly pointed chin, perfectly styled eyebrows- everything about him screamed rich and royal. His grey eyes held contempt and malice as he eyed the Potters and the Weasleys, taking in the children's Muggle clothing. He sneered at them and smirked up at James.

"Malfoy," James said, his voice filled with hatred. "What are you doing here?"

Lucius Malfoy raised a brow before using a gloved hand to gesture to someone on his right. The company then saw a boy, slightly tall for his age, with blonde hair and looked exactly like Lucius, even down to the smirk. James was certain that the kid was the Malfoy's Heir. Just the thought of it caused him to be riled up.

"Your son's starting Hogwarts as well?"

Lucius' smirk grew even wider as he nodded once. "It will be a very interesting year wouldn't it Potter?" he asked, "with your son and mine being in the same school."

James blanched at that before shooting a look at Avery. Avery was glaring at the Malfoy Heir, Draco, who just sneered at him. James growled under his breath as he shot a death look at the blonde child. Inside, he was really pleased that Avery did not take a liking to Malfoy brat. How he would have moaned if his son became friends with the spawn of Death Eaters, the servants of the currently dead Lord Voldemort.

"I see there's only one of your sons."

James' attention snapped back to Lucius, his blood boiling when he heard the slightest indication that the conversation was turning towards his youngest son, Harry, who had run away from home six years ago. He had asked the Ministry to help him look for the lost child, but to no avail. The Daily Prophet had a field day, as they tried to uncover the reasons to why Harry disappeared from the Potter Manor. No matter how they tried to cover it up, the reporters from the Daily Prophet (especially that horrid woman called Rita Skeeter) managed to find out that his son ran away. The Potters name was tarnished when that Skeeter woman published an article on him. James was pretty sure that he had nothing to do with Harry's decision to leave home but many wizards (thanks to the Skeeter woman's article) were inclined to believe so. The plight of Harry was brought up several times over the years, but fortunately for James, the excitement died out some years back.

Glowering at Lucius, he kept silent. It was so like a Malfoy to bring up past unfortunate events.

"You probably haven't read today's article about Harrison Potter."

James' eyes narrowed when he heard the boy's name but nonetheless snatched the _Daily Prophet _out of Lucius' hands when offered to him. Wrenching it apart, he let out a small hiss of breath when he read an article in the centre of the page:

_THE BOY WHO LIVED GOES TO HOGWARTS ALONE  
_

_It was confirmed yesterday that Avery Potter, age 11, would be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, said _Rita Skeeter, _Special Correspondent. With the famous Boy who Lived entering Hogwarts, the entire wizarding world was buzzing with excitement as they anticipate the wonders that he would do there. _

_However, it was also confirmed that no one had any idea of the acceptance of Harrison James Potter, who is Avery Potter's younger twin brother. After he had vanished of the surface of the world, no one had seen him ever since, even with the numerous search parties that the Minister ensued to look for the younger Potter twin. Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, refused to release any sort of information about the Potter twins which raised the question: What happened to Harrison Potter and why does it seem that his family did not really care?_

_Continued on page 5_

James hands clenched the yellowed paper as he read. The snake-like woman was bringing up old matters that should be left alone. The _Daily Prophet _should be talking _only _about Avery, with no mention of the runaway son he had. Avery deserved the entire spotlight, not to share it with another. James felt as though he was going to hex someone pretty soon and he was pretty sure the victim would be the smirking blonde in front of him.

"Pity that you did not take care of your other son better Potter," said Lucius, his eyes flashing in mirth. "You would not have needed to bother about Rita Skeeter's articles about your family."

James' hand moved back towards to his wand slowly. He was close to exploding and he wanted his victim to be a Malfoy. Lucius' eyes narrowed as he eyed the hand, his very own gloved hand tightening around the silver snakehead of his walking stick that was actually his wand holder. Neither pulled out their wands but instead, they stood there, glaring at each other with pure hatred and disgust visibly written over all their faces. The air around them crackled with energy as their magic begun to churn within them, ready to explode out any time soon.

"And here I thought you could not have fallen any lower," the blonde hissed, "First marrying a Mudblood, tainting your pureblood name forever. Then you mixed around with the Weasley filth. What next? Being a champion of Mudbloods like that Muggle-loving fool Dumbledore?"

Lucius' insult of his wife, his friends and the man who was the Leader of the Light, just made James pull out his wand from his robes immediately but before he or Lucius could hex each other into oblivion, Avery's angry shout of "Hey!" stopped them.

Avery was glaring at a group of cloaked and hooded wizards who had stepped in front of them in the queue. The child was fuming and he strode over to them and shouted, "You can't just cut the queue! I was here first!"

One from the lot turned around and lowered his black, velvet hood. A boy who looked about 14 smirked at Avery. He was pale, his skin almost translucent, and his golden eyes held amusement as he eyed the famous boy, who was growing redder by the moment. The 'Golden Eyes' had platinum blonde hair that was stylishly cut in the latest fashion and his face bore majestic features that made him devilishly handsome. He was tall for his age, almost at six feet. Around his long slender neck was a gold necklace, which showed that the boy was practically drowning in gold with its excellent craftsmanship. The necklace looked as though it was made of thousands of golden scales and in the middle of the necklace, a snake head opened around a giant obsidian stone that was also wrapped around with the snake's tail. The snake's eyes were flashing red as the boy bend over to say, "But it seemed that you were too busy watching the two men there fight."

"But I was still here first!"

'Golden Eyes' rolled his eyes before saying to his company, "What an arrogant child. And he does not know who we are."

Silence had fallen in the bank now. Even the goblins were still as they eyed the newly-entered wizards who were the cause of the Boy who Lived tantrum. The rest of the tall boy's group was still cloaked and hooded. There were about nine of them, including the one who was mocking Avery. He and five others wore identical black cloaks while the other three wore red cloaks that looked just as expensive as the black ones. The red cloaked ones were standing really still but it could be seen that they were holding themselves back as they watched 'Golden Eyes' deal with the heated Avery.

James could not believe that he was watching his son being ridiculed by a boy who looked just as bigheaded as Lucius. His son was the Boy who Lived for heaven's sake and every wizard in the world knew that! And the gold eyed boy was either blatantly ignoring that fact or he really had no idea of who his son was. Planning to put that boy in his spot, he strode over to the boy. He placed his free hand on Avery's shoulder as he pointed his wand at the boy before saying, "You should be careful of your words boy."

Instead of feeling afraid of the adult who was threatening him with a weapon, 'Golden Eyes' raised an arched eyebrow. "I wouldn't do that if I am you," he said coolly, completely unfazed by the prospect of being hexed.

"Stop Potter!"

James turned to see Lucius and his son rushing up towards them. Lucius' face was rather pale as he eyed the threatened boy carefully. His eyes were fixed on the necklace and narrowed there. Then his eyes move over to the black cloaked ones who had not moved an inch from their spots before moving to the red cloaked ones who had stepped forward, but had not pulled any wands from their robes. Lucius tried to look beneath their hoods but to no avail. Their faces were shadowed by their heavy hoods.

"What is it Malfoy?" James seethed, peeved that he was held back from hexing a boy who should be taught his place.

"You do not know who this is?" Malfoy asked, already expecting a negative for an answer. A Potter did not care for politics and James was the worst among the lot. He was Lord Potter but he did not bother himself with politics and rarely attended the Wizegamot. Lucius, on the other hand, cared for politics very much and attended every session of any sort of political meetings and he knew very well that hexing 'Golden Eyes' would be the last thing that Potter would do in a very long time. Not that he cared for the arrogant James Potter- he just wanted to make sure that he could make a good impression on the boy.

James shook his head, confusion creeping up on him. Lucius sighed softly and shot James a look of disgust but immediately pulled up a mask of coolness and regality when the threatened boy looked at him, ignoring the wand all together.

Recognition flashed in the golden eyes and the boy nodded at Lucius. "Lord Malfoy," he greeted, "What a pleasure to see you here."

Lucius felt a flash of pride and relief that the boy recognized him. "Lord Secundus of the Star. The pleasure's all mine."

James looked back and forth, from the boy who was called 'Lord Secundus' and Lucius, trying to wrap his head around the meaning. He had lowered his wand and his son had cooled down from his previous temper but was still a little huffy that no one else tried to step up to stop the golden eyed boy from mocking him. James vaguely remembered the name Secundus but he could not place his finger on an exact memory. But it was enough to know that Lucius knew him and that he was a Lord. At that point, James' heart raced as he realized that he could be in big trouble for threatening a Lord, no matter how arrogant or young he was. Secundus was smirking at James now, as though he knew that his high position rattled Lord Potter.

Draco, the Malfoy Heir, had stepped up to greet the Lord of the Star and he was smiled benignly upon by him. Secundus was obviously ignoring the Potters as well as the Weasleys who were gaping at the young lord. Lucius kept his eyes on Secundus and he took a look at the rest of Secundus' company. "They must be your brothers Lord Secundus," he said, nodding to the five who were wearing black cloaks.

"Yes they are." Secundus ordered the rest of his company to lower their hoods and they did. All except the shortest of the lot. He kept his black hood up and lowered his head slightly so that no one saw his face. Lucius flashed a look at the child, who did not seem to notice, before looking at the rest of the brothers.

There was the flaming hair one, his hair red and orange with flecks of gold in them. It was not surprising to Lucius that this one, a boy about thirteen, was the Lord of the Flame. His body was lithe but it lacked no muscles. He carried himself with an extremely haughty air and glared at everyone. His eyes were blacker than night but if looked into closely, they could see the flecks of gold, red and purple within. Lucius racked his brain and remembered that this child was more aloof than the rest, preferring to listen than to talk. Lucius nodded at him, Lord Tertius of the Flame, the third brother.

Next was the Lord of the Sea, Lord Quartus, the fourth brother. He was a few days younger than Tertius. He had magnificent blue eyes and he was rather thin. But his legs were strong, as well as his arms, the result of swimming too often. His eyes twinkled in a friendly manner and he smiled at everyone. His brown hair was of an earthy colour and he stood regally, but held no air of pride that his Tertius had.

The fifth brother was Lord Quintus of the Earth. He was a few months younger that Quartus and just like Quartus, he had earthy brown hair. His brown eyes were of a darker shade that his hair, like the colour of dirt and they, too, were kindly and compassionate. He was of a stocky built- powerful arms and large body and legs. Tanner than most, he looked as though he spent more time under the sun than any of his brothers, who were rather pale.

Lord Sextus of the Wind was next. Small, like Quartus, with stormy grey eyes that turned up at the corners and arched eyebrows, he looked like a bird. He stood on his toes occasionally, as though he wanted to take flight. He was constantly lost in thought and he was usually humming a tune. His eyes usually held a dreamy look and as he walked, his robes would flutter around him as though the wind was always following him. He lacked in muscles but his petite and agile body proved that he would be faster than most. Age twelve, he was the second youngest of the brothers.

Lucius smiled and greeted each brother in turn. Tertius gave him a sharp nod before glowering at the audience. Quartus and Quintus offered a smile each while Sextus did not react at all. Instead, his eyes were closed and Lucius would not be surprised if the boy did not hear the greeting that he gave.

But he was most concerned about the first and last brother. He knew Lord Primus of the Shadows well. Primus was the oldest among the brothers, age fifteen, and he was a regular at the Wizegamot, just like Lucius. They talked often and respected each other well though they never truly crossed the boundaries and became friends. Lucius had seen the rest of the brothers, excluding the last brother, pretty often at the Wizegamot. Even Secundus, the rascal among the lot, attended many meetings along with his brothers. However, Lucius never saw the youngest one and he assumed that it was because he was very young. From what he remembered, the youngest was only eleven this year.

The youngest still had his hood up and he was keeping quiet. Secundus noticed Lucius staring at the child and explained helpfully, "Septimus is rather paranoid. He doesn't trust anyone enough and hates to show his face in public. Couldn't fault him though. That's his personality."

Lucius nodded, accepting the explanation but continued looking at Septimus. He knew that the child was Lord Septimus of the Blood and he had heard many tales about the child. It was very unlike Lucius to believe everything told to him but just hearing about Septimus' personality and the fact that he was the Lord of the Blood was enough to make him believe every single tale, no matter how tall it was.

"Good day to you Lord Septimus of the Blood." Lucius hoped to at least receive a reaction from the child. He received a nod that was almost missed by him. Lucius stared at the child for a little while before turning to Secundus who looked slightly impatient.

"So Lord Secundus," Lucius said, "may I enquire to why you are here with your brothers in Diagon Alley? It is not every day that any, much less, most of you young lords come to this humble shopping street."

Secundus chuckled good-naturedly and replied, "Well, Septimus is going to school and we needed to buy him his requirements. He is not going to Durmstrang like the rest of us or Beauxbatons like Sextus so we could not buy him his equipment at the usual places."

"Where is young Lord Septimus going to then?"

"Hogwarts," Secundus replied cheerfully. "First in the family. Primus had to let him enter because Septimus was rather insistent on going to Hogwarts. He threatened to drown the castle in blood if he was not allowed to go to that school." He laughed loudly at the last statement, sending shivers up Lucius' spine.

"Well, Draco is going to Hogwarts as well." Lucius could not pass the chance to get the young lord and his son to get acquainted. "Why not shop together?"

"No."

Everyone turned to face Tertius who glared at Lucius who shot him an angry look for spoiling the chance. "This is the last month we could spend with our youngest brother so we would prefer to do it together. I hope you would understand Lord Malfoy," he continued, unperturbed.

Lucius could not argue to Tertius unless he wished to be burned. Gritting his teeth, he just nodded. Secundus gave him a cheerful goodbye before indicating to his company to follow him. He led his brothers to the front of the line and promptly cut the queue and nobody stopped him. After a few words to the goblin, they were off to their vaults that were undoubtedly filled to the brim with gold and other treasures. The men that were dressed in red cloaks were obviously their bodyguards. They shot everyone a warning look before following the brothers at a distance respectfully. Soon they disappeared behind the large doors that lead to the underground vaults.

"Who the bloody hell was that!"

Lucius spun around to glare at the youngest Weasley son, Ronald. He was staring at the closed doors, his eyes huge. Glancing at the rest of the Potters and Weasleys, he felt irritated that they were all so clueless to the most powerful family in the entire wizarding world. Giving himself ten seconds to breathe, he began to explain.

"They are the Aeternitas family. Their family is probably the most ancient family there is, dating all the way back to the start of history as we know it. They are part of Wizegamot but unlike others who are in the Wizegamot, they are above the law as they are rulers of a country called Elementia but they are also part of the Wizarding Britain. While they follow some laws put on by the Minister, anything that happens within their land is their responsibility and when anyone enters the country, they have to follow the Aeternitas brothers' rule and laws."

"Wait," Arthur Weasley rudely interrupted, "Elementia? As in the land of sorcerers who can do both wandless magic and elemental magic?"

"Yes," Lucius replied tiredly, "Elementia is the land where the people there are trained to be sorcerers. They do learn how to do magic with the wand but that is during their formal education that is stressed upon by the Ministry. The citizens of Elementia are birthed with a single element that they could control. They could not control any others. For the Lords of Elementia however, they could control all of the elements but their main birth element is where their title comes from. For example, Lord Secundus is the Lord of the Star as he was born to control the element of Light. In contrast, Lord Primus is the Lord of the Shadows as he was born to control the element of Darkness."

"Who's Lord Primus?" Avery asked, listening attentively. He always liked a good story.

"Lord Primus is the only descendent of the true Aeternitas family. Secundus, Tertius, Quartus, Quintus, Sextus and Septimus aren't really of the same blood but Primus had magically adopted them as his brothers," Lucius continued, "Some of them aren't really from Elementia but they were birthed with the gift of controlling the elements. And before you ask- No, Secundus, Tertius and so on are not their real names. They are titles, indicating which rank they are in their family. Their real names are hidden- the Aeternitas family believe strongly in the power of a real name so they gave their sons another name according to their age. If you looked back in their history, every first son is called Primus and every second son is called Secundus."

"Each son is a lord of a certain element and the Wizegamot recognizes their title. In the Wizegamot, the Aeternitas family holds seven seats- one for each element."

"But I thought that there are only five elements!" Molly Weasley exclaimed.

This time, her son, Percy, answered rather pompously, "No Mother. There are now seven. There have been seven elements for about two hundred years already. The main elements are Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Spirit. From Spirit, it was divided into two due to unknown reasons. The new elements that came from Spirit are Light and Dark. Blood is the newest element known to wizards. It is the mixture of Water and Spirit and the result was the element of Blood. Blood elementals, sorcerers who control Blood, are masters of the life force and life blood of any being. The power to control this element is rare- only a few in a thousand could do it."

Lucius nodded, confirming the third Weasley son's explanation. The Weasleys and Potters had looks of wonder on their faces as they drunk in the new information. Lucius felt tired of staying in their sufferable presence and said, "Well, I think we stayed here too long. I think we should make a move on." He nodded at the milling wizards and gave a glare at some wizards who had cut the queue they were in. After a rather contemptuous farewell to the Potters and Weasleys, the Malfoys hurried off to a free counter to get the permission to enter their vaults.

The Potters and Weasleys recovered from their amazement and they too hurried off to another free counter. During their encounter with the powerful Aeternitas family and the lengthy explanation from Lucius Malfoy, the goblins had cleared many of the wizards. Now there were only a few wizards within the white halls of Gringotts. Quickening their pace, the Weasleys and Potters pushed all thought of the rulers of Elementia and focused on their shopping.

* * *

The shopping of books and robes went without much distraction. The adults (actually only Molly and Arthur) had to pull their sons (as well as James) away from the Quality Quidditch Supplies as they drooled over the new Nimbus 2000. Avery was particularly insistent that if he managed to get into the Quidditch team, his father had to buy him the broom. James readily agreed, knowing that a broom would not put his family's financial status. He was the Defense against the Dark Arts professor in Hogwarts and that alone gave him a steady income. And he believed that if his son managed to enter the Quidditch team, he deserved the broom anyway.

After Molly nagged at the boys that they had spent too much time on broom and that the sun was already going down, the company trudged off to Ollivander's, the best wandmaker in Diagon Alley. Avery was really excited to get his first wand. He was already discussing with Ron on the different kinds of pranks they would be doing but of course, Fred and George, the Weasley twins, would butt in and claim that they had already done every prank in the book. Their proclamation was met with a sigh from Percy and Arthur, laughter from Avery, Ron, James and the Weasley's daughter, Ginny and even more nags from Molly.

They reached Ollivander's laughing and chatting in loud voices, they pushed open the doors to see the Aeternitas brothers again. Their bodyguards were standing at the sides of the small shop, carrying the brother's shopping. The elder five brothers were sitting on magicked chairs as they watched the youngest one try out different wands. Secundus looked up at the Potters and Weasleys and smiled readily at them. That was when James noticed that Septimus did not lower his hood at all, even in the presence of only the wandmaker. The child turned around to look at them before turning his back to them again. He picked up the wand in front of him but it was snatched out of his hand almost immediately by Ollivander.

"Hm… You're a difficult customer, aren't you?" Ollivander asked, his translucent grey eyes twinkling as he trudged back to the shelves of wands to pick out another wand. "No matter, we'll find you a wand soon."

The Potters and the Weasleys dropped their shopping on the floor and leaned against the wall to watch Septimus try out wand after wand. Avery eyed him with jealousy. After seeing Secundus' robes beneath his cloak (Secundus had taken his cloak off), Avery was certain that Septimus would be equally dressed. Secundus' robes were made of the finest gold silk and a reddish sort of fur lined the linings of the robes. Small diamonds were sewn onto the hems of the sleeves. Such robes were worth more than five Nimbus 2000s put together. Avery was pretty sure that his soon-to-be schoolmate would be pampered and the kind to flaunt his wealth.

Minutes turned into an hour and everyone was obviously becoming very impatient at the lack of success that Septimus was getting. Ron had obnoxiously whispered to Avery that every wand in the shop refused to have Septimus as its owner and that caused the third brother, Tertius, to send a small fire to his robes. After his parents managed to convince him to forgive their son, Tertius reluctantly extinguished the flame (he had made it inextinguishable by anyone except him). The room fell into stony silence as they eyed Ollivander rushing around, grabbing wand after wand.

Just then, Septimus raised his arm to point at a wand that was left on the shelves. Avery was overcome with jealousy when he saw the sleeve of the robes that he wore. It was emerald green with silver thread forming designs on the robes. The hems of the sleeves were emblazoned with diamonds as well. Avery growled slightly under his breath as he turned to look at the wand that the rich kid was pointing at.

The box was all alone on that shelf. Ollivander had picked out every wand around it except that one. Ollivander looked at it and said, "You can't have it. Even if you tried it, it is certain that it would not choose you."

"Let him try it," Tertius ordered. Ollivander looked as though he would very much like to object but after eyeing the blue flame that erupted in the Lord of the Flame's palm, Ollivander shuddered and grabbed the box.

He pulled it out and said, "This is a unique combination. Holly and phoenix feather, 11 inches, nice and supple. Try it out but I am not expecting anything."

Septimus took the wand with his long fingers and immediately, a rush of wind went through the room. The windows rattled and the people within the shop eyed Septimus who was now covered in a strong gold glow that dimmed before dying out with the wind. Septimus waved his wand and a shower of green and red sparks were discharged from the end. His brothers were clapping for him and the Weasleys were just shocked senseless at the power that was demonstrated. Avery was currently glaring at Septimus, knowing very well he was going to hate the rich, powerful kid.

Ollivander, however, was more than surprised. He was gaping at the young lord but it was not long before he regained composure and said softly, "I remember every single wand I've ever sold, young lord. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather — just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother gave the Boy who Lived his scar. It was assumed that he was destined for this wand and that was why I had reserved it only for him."

Ollivander stopped there and nodded an apology to Avery who was now seething. Septimus had stolen a wand that was rightfully his! Although he was not even chosen by the wand yet, he was certain that he was supposed to have that wand. Anger and resentment began to build up in the child's heart and he was certain that he hated the little lord who was only slightly taller than him and Ron. He had it all and it was unfair. He was not the Boy who Lived! Avery believed sorely that he should have deserved everything that Septimus had.

Ollivander took a deep breath and continued, "Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember... I think we must expect great things from you, Blood Lord... After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things — terrible, yes, but great."

Silence fell in the shop and Septimus had not moved an inch. He was staring at the wand for a while but he was the first to make a move and to stow his newly acquired wand into his robes. He pulled out a drawstring pouch and pulled out seven galleons, the price of his wand, before dropping into the counter. With that, he turned on his heel and strode out of the shop. Secundus and his brothers hurriedly jumped to their feet and with a wave of his hand, the chairs disappeared. Then they rushed out into the currently dark street with their bodyguards.

Avery walked up to Ollivander and so did Ron. Ollivander smiled at them and he said, "Ah, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter eh? Well, well, let us start finding your wands then."

With that, he started matching the two boys with their wands but the same thought remained in both Avery and Ollivander's minds: The prospect of another receiving the brother to the Dark Lord's wand. It was unnerving that no one knew him and with a powerful wand choosing a powerful wizard with unknown character, Ollivander felt that a change was coming.

Soon enough, Avery and Ron received their wands- Unicorn hair, ash; 13 inches for Avery while a willow, unicorn hair, 14 inches for Ron. James walked up to pay for both the wands and with that, the company left the shop and headed to the Leaky Cauldron to return home. It was already night time and all were tired.

As Ollivander watched them walk away from their store, he felt a change in the winds. It was as though the world had changed direction and that something unexpected would be coming. He closed his eyes and flashes of the boy's long fingers grabbing the holly wand and the enormous surge of power that filled the room, came into mind. But the one memory he kept on resurfacing was the pair of eyes he had seen from under the cloak. He had only seen that kind of eyes on the red headed girl who entered his shop ages ago to purchase her first wand. He was pretty sure that the young Septimus was someone that had gone missing a long time ago. With him being chosen by the holly wand, he was very certain that someone had made a huge mistake ten years ago when the Dark Lord had fallen.

Keeping his eyes closed, he kept the memory of the haunting, emerald green eyes peering out from the shadow of his hood at the surface of his mind. He whispered, "Good luck Harrison Potter… the Boy who Lived."

No one was there to hear him speak the truth that was begging to be spoken for ages. The rest of the wizarding world carried on with their belief that Avery Potter was the Boy who Lived, not the younger, lost twin. But somewhere far away, a green eyed child was holding his wand, filled with pride that he had accomplished his first step to his plans. He smirked as he began to plan out his moves as he watched the numerous house elves in front of him pack his trunk that he would bring when he attend Hogwarts.

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**OMG, this is the longest chapter I have EVER written in my life! Hope you don't mind the introduction of OC characters as well as an alternate form of the Wizarding world. The elements, like in the story, was originally only five- Fire, Air, Earth, Water and Spirit but for this story, I had made more for many reasons. Partly, because I think it is cool and partly because it is important later on.**

**Please review and thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4 A train ride

**CHAPTER 4- A train ride with Six Snakes and a Stranger**

**So, I know some of you guys are rather upset with the bringing of OCs and a slightly alternate Harry Potter universe. Sorry about not satisfying you but I want the story to go this way so and I like it this way. I'm gonna continue with the story whether you like it or not.**

**So thank you all for the reviews, favorite and alerts! It is a complete pleasure to open up my inbox and see it spammed with notices! Thanks again!**

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Draco was disgusted. Flinching as a nearby Muggleborn shriek in terror at someone's pet tarantula, he was extremely upset that he had to share a train with half-bloods, shame of the purebloods, and of course, the Mudbloods, the dregs of the wizarding society. He was the Malfoy Heir and he was raised to hate Muggles and to never associate with them. That was a lesson drilled into him as soon as he could speak. Keeping the lesson in mind, he refrained himself from cursing the same Mudblood girl who had screamed in that annoying high-pitched tone again. Instead, he shot the girl a dirty look before looking up at his father, Lucius Malfoy, who had returned from talking to a Slytherin Prefect.

Lucius looked equally irritated by the swarming mass of people on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Amidst the steam that was bellowing from the shiny red Hogwarts train, he could make out the forms of both young wizards and Muggleborns dressed in Muggle clothing, running all around the platform. He wondered why so many wizards preferred to wear clothes of the Mudblood and forsake the robes, the true garments of a wizard. There were only a few families on the platform that wore robes- the Malfoys, the Zabinis, the Greengrass and the Parkinsons. And of course, they were all respectable pureblooded families. The Goyles and Crabbes were not even on the platform despite the fact that it would be only five minutes before the train departs.

Narcissa Malfoy, Lucius' wife, bent over to kiss Draco on the forehead and she said, "Take care of yourself Draco. Remember not to tarnish the Malfoy's name."

"And do remember to keep a look out for the young Septimus," Lucius added on. After hearing that the youngest of the Aeternitas brothers was attending Hogwarts, he could not resist the chance to become friends with their family. Though it did irk him that they were children who were at least half their age, and that they were much more powerful than him in terms of money, magic and connections, Lucius wished to be known as a good friend of the strongest family in probably the entire wizarding world. Young Septimus was the best way in, seeing that he was just as young as Draco and they could be friends. With them friends, the Malfoy name would be heightened and Lucius wanted that more than anything.

Draco nodded dutifully but nearly jumped in shock when the train's whistle blew loudly, indicating that they should hurry on board to find a compartment. After a hasty and regal goodbye to his parents, he picked up his lightweight trunk and walked to the train with his friends, Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengrass. Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe joined them from behind shortly after their arrival at the platform. They climbed onto the train and waved their final goodbyes to their parents. The train whistled a final time and it begun to lurch forward. Soon enough, they were moving slowly out of the platform and on the way to Hogwarts.

Draco looked around and smiled at his childhood friends. Noticing that there were still so many Mudbloods and half-bloods roaming around in the corridors, he hurriedly led his friends to find the first-years Slytherin compartment. The Slytherin house had seven compartments- one for each year. When the Seven years graduated, the compartment would be given to the next batch of First Years. This way, the chairs and air in the compartments would not be contaminated by Mudbloods.

After a small tip from a passing Slytherin girl, Draco pushed forward further into the train and towards the designated compartment. Expecting the compartment to be empty, he pulled open the glass doors recklessly and rushed inside to allow his friends to enter.

"Who are you?" Pansy asked loudly, causing Draco to turn around and that was when he saw the boy sitting in the seat nearest to the window.

The boy was dressed in Muggle clothing but unlike most of the Muggle clothing he had seen on the Hogwarts' students, his looked as though it was personally tailored for him. He was wearing a form-fitting silk black shirt with a high collar. His long sleeves were rolled up above the elbows- a show of nonchalance. The buttons were silver and reflected the sunlight that poured from the windows. His shirt was tucked in into his skinny blue jeans. The jeans looked washed out but the overall look, with his shirt and leather boots, was rather satisfying.

However, the boy's looks were more striking. His messy black hair that was cut in the latest fashion that Draco knew was soft and silky. He had aristocratical features- high cheekbones, a perfectly moulded chin and nose and a full lush of lips. His skin was rather pale, but it was not sickly. It was more like pearly white than wan. His long black eyelashes were heavy and made him look as though he was forever in a half-dream. Under the veil of his lashes, were arresting almond-shaped, emerald green eyes. Just looking into them would make anyone feel that he was looking into their very souls. It was piercing and searching at the same time.

He was staring out of the window when they entered but did not move until he heard Pansy exclaimed. He turned his head to look at the pureblood children and took a look at every single one of them carefully, assessing them quietly but very obviously. When he observed Draco, the latter felt that the boy was uncovering every secret that he held. Draco gritted his teeth, not used to the uncomfortable feeling of being weighed by another, especially someone he did not know. Pushing himself to stand tall, he looked down at the boy who had now finished checking out Goyle. The boy now looked at Draco, as though waiting for him to speak.

"Well? Who are you?" Draco repeated but he had a feeling that the strange boy would not answer.

The boy cocked his head to the left as though pondering on what he had to do but a few seconds later, he turned away to look out of the window again. Deflating, Draco glared at the boy and placed a restricting hand on Pansy who looked as though she was going to curse the boy for not answering. Giving a small shrug, Draco motioned for the rest to place their trunks into the trunk box above them before sitting regally down into the plush cushions. They could not lose their respectable look around an unknown person. They kept their eyes on the boy, who blatantly ignored every single one of them. He just stared out of the window, his eyes showing that he was lost in thought.

Draco felt irritated that they were being ignored. And even worse, they did not even know who the boy was! If he was a Mudblood, the air and cushions in this compartment would be dirtied forever. And they would have to live with it for seven years. Draco felt an urge to shout at the boy but before he could, noticed a small bracelet that the boy was wearing.

It was of an excellent craftsmanship that he had never seen before. The dark silver that circled the boy's thin wrist was designed into little scales. Each scale was bordered by gold so that it shimmered in the air. At the underside of the boy's wrist, Draco noticed that the bracelet was actually a snake but that was not the thing that perplexed him. It was the fact that the snake was eating its own tail. Draco stared at the weird bracelet, feeling uncomfortable that the snake had the same emerald eyes of its owner and it was glinting at him as he looked at the snake eating its tail.

Draco felt even more unsure of the boy. The boy was obviously a rich child and the fact that he was not asking them any sort of stupid questions or reading the spellbooks fervently, made Draco feel certain that the boy was either a half-blood or a pure-blood, or at least someone who grew up with magical parents. And rich ones at that.

Taking a deep breath, he kept his voice even and haughty. "So who are you? You can't sit here. This compartment is reserved for Slytherin first years."

At that, the boy snapped out of his daze and turned slowly to look at the blonde boy. "But none of us had been sorted yet so you can't claim this compartment as yours as well," the boy replied.

His voice was rather high and breathy, like he did not speak often. Silence filled in the compartment as they realised that the boy spoke the truth. They were all in there but neither truly knew where they would be sorted. Draco and his friends stared at the boy, trying to counter what he had said but when he turned away from them again, they lost all will to retort. The boy rested his head against the window pane, once again looking out of the window. Draco looked at the boy, even more uncomfortable than before. Daphne beside him was shifting in her seat before finally, asking, "What's your name?"

"Harry."

Harry. Draco's lip curled slightly in disgust when he heard that the boy had such a common, Muggle-like name. Apparently, his friends thought so too as Pansy, who had seated beside the boy, was beginning to inch away from him. Not that he cared anyway; he was still looking out of the window, his emerald green eyes distant.

"Harry what?" Daphne pushed.

Harry closed his eyes and replied softly, "Nothing. I'm Harry. Just Harry."

Daphne kept quiet after that. She was looking at him strangely while Draco felt a little upset that he did not want to share his last name. At the same time, he had a feeling that he had seen this Harry before, and heard about him before, but he couldn't remember. Shrugging off the feeling, he begun to introduce himself.

"I'm…" he started but was interrupted immediately by Harry. "Draco Malfoy, the Malfoy Heir." Draco was silenced but nodded to indicate that the strange boy was right. Harry opened his eyes and continued while looking at every single person in the compartment, "Daphne Greengrass, the Heiress of the Greengrass family. Blaise Zabini, only son of Lady Zabini. Gregory Goyle, Vincent Crabbe and Pansy Parkinson; all heirs to your respective family names- I know who you are."

With that, he sat up straight and leaned his head against the cushion and looked up at the ceiling. Draco felt pleased that Harry knew who they were- it showed that he was educated in family names and hierarchy. Since he did know who they were, it was almost certain that he was either a pureblood or a half-blood with a good upbringing. And rich too. Satisfied with that, Draco leaned against his seat, finally at ease. The rest followed and soon enough, the tension vanished and the childhood friends were chatting easily among themselves with occasional attempts to involve the strange Harry in their conversation. But after a few attempts and only a few words in return, they decided not to completely involve him. He seemed to be happier resting than talking to them. All of his answers were short and vague. Draco wondered who the boy was and kept an eye on his actions but so far, nothing unusual happened.

After about half an hour ride on the train, Draco was telling his friends about the incident at Gringotts as well as his mission to find and befriend the young Septimus. Goyle and Crabbe listened with their eyes as big as Galleons while Blaise, Pansy and Daphne looked slightly impressed. "So," Daphne asked once Draco finished boasting about his encounter with the Aeternitas family, "You are to find the Lord of the Blood, Septimus, to befriend him so that you can heighten your family name? Not a bad plan Draco. Any friend to their family is bound to get powerful."

"Yes, that is why Father wanted me to befriend him," Draco said proudly. "But he warned me he would be difficult. Afterall, being the Lord of the Blood, the element of life itself, he must be rather paranoid. He must have a lot of enemies. Father said to be a friend and a protector at the same time."

"But…" Goyle interrupted, his words slow and carefully chosen, "Have you ever seen this… Septimus?"

Draco shrunk back into his seat at that. Everyone looked at him and shook their head in exasperation. "How can you even befriend him if you don't even know how he looks like?" Pansy cried out, her arms flinging out, nearly hitting Harry in the face.

"He might be sitting around the train with people who do not like us and is most likely being brainwashed by them!" Daphne hissed.

Draco hurriedly sat up and retorted, "He is a lord. He would not be brainwashed by some Muggle-loving student or a Mudblood! Afterall, he had seen me before in Gringotts. He will most likely talk to me than anyone else."

Sullen agreement met his words and the six pureblood children sank into their seats, mulling over the prospect of getting a powerful friend. Daphne turned to look at Harry who was staring up at the ceiling. His eyes opened the moment they begun to talk about the Aeternitas family and he was listening rather attentively, although not making a sound. Daphne narrowed her eyes at him and asked, "Do you know anything about the Aeternitas family Harry?"

Everyone looked at Harry who stayed still before replying with a rather tired voice, "Yes, I do. The family of the Lords of elementals is the most powerful name in the world."

"How much do you know about Septimus?" Pansy asked quickly.

Harry kept quiet at that and Daphne begun to have suspicions about him. She leaned forward and tension filled the room again. "You know him," she stated simply, her voice indicating that she knew his secret. Actually, she had no idea if he did or not but she was having a feeling that he did.

Harry sighed and nodded once. "We have met," he confessed much to the delight of Draco, who started asking questions about Septimus. Daphne and the rest joined in the questioning and as they bombarded him with questions, neither noticed the door slide open to reveal a flaming, red headed boy and another slightly darker haired boy.

"So," Avery Potter from the doorway said contemptuously, "You are bugging someone about the so-called Lord of the Blood."

The young heirs and heiresses stopped their childish behaviour and immediately placed on their haughty air again. Draco narrowed his eyes at Avery and Ron who were glaring at them from the doorway. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Harry turning abruptly away from the door and was now facing the window again. His back was facing the two intruders and he kept his down slightly, allowing his hair to cover up some parts of his face.

Draco sneered at Avery and replied scathingly, "Jealous, Potter, that Septimus has the entire Wizegamot wrapped around his pinkie while you have to scream and throw a tantrum to get them to do what they want?"

Avery reddened at that insult and he snapped, "I am the Boy who Lived! That Septimus is nothing compared to me! He did not defeat You-Know-Who when he was a baby! All he could do his kill with that nasty power of his!"

"Well, maybe he will kill you for me." Draco smirked, relishing the thought. "Who would like to deal with icky-baby Potter, the boy-who-throws-a-tantrum?"

Avery howled at that and pulled out his wand. Ron copied but before the pureblood children could pull out their wands or before the two red heads could shoot a hex, Harry had stood up and was pointing his wand at Avery and Ron threateningly. His green eyes were flashing dangerously and the air crackled with magic as he eyed the two red heads. Keeping his hand aloft in front of him, he said in a low voice, "Get lost."

Avery looked at the wand before sneering at Harry's face but when he took a look him, his sneer falter and dropped, replaced by an open mouth stare. His eyes raked over the boy's face searchingly as he tried to remember where he had seen the boy before. Avery vaguely remembered him a very long time ago but he could not pull out a memory or a name. The rest were watching them carefully, trying to understand what was going on between them. Avery closed his mouth and gulped. "Do…" Avery asked slowly, "Do I know you?"

Harry did not reply. Instead, he repeated his previous command and jerked his wand at the doorway- an indication for them to leave. "I would not be acquainted with two arrogant, boorish boys like you," he replied, his voice holding venom in them.

Avery woke up at that. He growled and raised his wand to hex the stranger for insulting him but before he could do that, Harry had snarled out _'Expelliarmus'_, causing both Avery and Ron to fly out of the compartment, their wands flying out of their grasps as well. They smashed into the opposite wall before collapsing onto the floor in an undignified heap. They lay there, groaning but none made a move to pick themselves up.

Draco watched the scene with wide eyes. The Disarming Spell was meant to disarm the opponent but the force that Harry had used was so strong that it actually made the two red heads go crashing into the wall. He watched as Harry picked up their wands and threw them out of the compartment at the moaning duo. With a glare at them that could have made anyone faint from the burning hatred in them, Harry slammed the door to the compartment, shaking the glass panels. Giving the red heads one last contemptuous look, he returned to his seat beside the window. Ignoring the wide eyed children staring at him, he stowed away his wand back into his side pocket of his jeans before falling into the cushioned seat.

"Wow!" Crabbe exclaimed. "You are strong!"

"You had training before, didn't you?" Pansy continued.

"That was brilliant Harry," Blaise complimented quietly.

"I knew you were one of us!" Daphne cheered.

Draco smiled at Harry, all qualms about the strange boy before gone. Harry was strong and Draco knew that having him as a friend would do them good. Harry was looking at them with an unreadable expression on his face but Draco didn't really notice. Instead, he congratulated him on his brilliant performance and announced that they would be good friends from then on. Daphne and Pansy agreed joyously while Blaise just shrugged non-committedly. Crabbe and Goyle just stared at Harry with open-eyed wonder and admiration while the two girls, with Draco in the lead, started conversing with Harry cheerfully. Harry responded most of the times to the happiness of Daphne and Pansy but whenever they stepped into the name and family conversation, he became closed off and refused to answer their insistent questions. After a while, they learned to not ask him about his family or his name. Draco found it slightly suspicious but pushed it all away. After chatting amiably with Harry about Quidditch, he felt that they would be good friends.

Soon enough, the conversation turned to the Sorting.

"What house do you think you'll be sorted into Harry?" Pansy asked.

Harry shrugged and replied, "I don't know. I would be okay with anything as long as I am not sorted into the same house as Avery Potter and Ronald Weasley."

"Gryffindor's out then," Blaise said. "Everyone knows that those blockheads would turn up in Gryffindor."

"You would most likely be Slytherin or Ravenclaw Harry," Daphne announced. "Someone like you can never be in Hufflepuff. Gryffindor might take you in as well, seeing that you got some courage."

"But you are more like a snake than a lion, so it is positively Slytherin!" Draco cheered.

Harry just smiled thinly and said, "We'll see. Maybe I'll surprise you."

"That'll be no surprise," Blaise scoffed. "You are already surprising us."

"And why do I get a feeling you will be surprising us when we find out who you really are?" Daphne teased.

Harry smile grew wider. "You would be," he replied strangely but stopped after that.

Laughter rang throughout the entire compartment as they continued their teasing of the newly found friend. The atmosphere became warmer as Harry's cold and distant demeanour melted away, revealing a rather polite and thoughtful boy who was an excellent companion to every single one of them. As tress flew by and Hogwarts grew closer, so did the bunch of children within that compartment. They bought their food from the cart lady together (Harry again surprising them with a bagful of Galleons that he kept) and laughed at each other's life stories. Harry told them a little about his hobbies and his adventures in the Muggle world, which fascinated the pureblood children who never stepped into the Muggle world in their entire life.

After Harry told them about a particularly funny story about a boy he saw called Dudley and his tantrum after his mother refused to buy him a sweet, the door slid open again to reveal a rather a bushy-haired girl was already dressed in her Hogwarts' robes.

"Excuse me," she said, interrupting the laughter. "Have any of you seen a toad? Neville lost his."

Draco turned to fix a glare at the girl. "No, we did not see a toad," he mocked. "And who in the name of Merlin brings a toad to school nowadays? It's old-fashioned!"

The girl returned a glare at Draco and replied rather testily, "Well, I think having a pet toad is rather alright. I never met anyone with toads as pets before."

"That is because no one has them as pets anymore," Blaise retorted.

"Whatever," the girl rudely admonished, looking around the room. "Anyway, I'm Hermione Granger. Who are you?"

Draco felt like hexing the girl. She was the most impolite girl that he had ever met. How could she just wave away Blaise's words as though it was nothing and then demanded to know their names as though they were inclined to do so just because she told them hers? Glancing at his friends, he saw that they thought exactly the same thing. Harry however, wore a mask of indifference that Draco knew too well. It was the face of someone with true, proper wizarding upbringing.

"Why should we tell you?" Pansy replied nastily. She looked extremely disgusted by the Granger girl's behaviour.

Said girl just pouted and glared at her. "Well, it is only polite to introduce yourself when someone already introduced themselves." She flicked her bushy mane behind her shoulders and waited for someone to introduce themselves. But of course, no one did.

They just shot her death glares.

"Are you related to the potioneer Granger by any chance?"Harry asked suddenly, surprising everyone.

Hermione shook her head and replied rather haughtily, "No. My parents are non-magical. I am the first witch in my family."

The temperature in the compartment dropped below freezing as the pureblood children turned to stare at the Muggleborn with hate in their wide eyes. Draco felt his blood boiling as he took a good look at the intruder of their compartment. A Mudblood had dared to step into this compartment and dirty the air with her presence! Pansy looked as though she was close to puking while Daphne stared at the Mudblood with disgust obvious on her face. Crabbe and Goyle looked as though they were going to pounce on the girl any time soon while Blaise just glared at the Granger girl coldly. Harry's face did not change as he eyed the girl from head to toe, assessing her.

Draco reached for his wand, ready to hex the girl. Hermione did not seem the least perturbed by the hostile atmosphere. Instead, she looked very angry that no one bothered to introduce themselves. She was about to snap out something when Harry cut in, "I think you should leave Granger. I would not want you to be hexed."

Harry nodded pointedly at Draco who was in the motion of pulling out his wand. Hermione's head snapped to look at Draco and her eyes widened as she saw the open hatred on his face. Gulping, she took a closer look at every single one's face, just realising that they did not want her there. After a look at Goyle's huge form, she nodded shakily and stepped out of the door. She hurried away, side stepping many people in the corridor, as she tried to distance herself from the hostile children.

Draco growled out about losing a chance to hex a stupid Mudblood while Daphne stood up to shut the door again. The atmosphere eased a little, though not by much as the children tried to calm themselves down from their close encounter with a Muggleborn. Goyle and Crabbe looked openly unhappy that they could not beat someone while Pansy and Daphne looked as though they had swollen a lemon. Draco was calming himself down but his blood was still racing. Blaise had already adopted his face of indifference while Harry looked slightly amused that the rest were taking the presence of the Granger girl with a little too much hatred.

"I don't believe that we have to school with that filthy Mudblood," Daphne muttered sullenly. Five heads nodded while Harry just shrugged, totally not wanting to be pulled into a Mudblood-hating conversation.

Blaise smoothed his robes down and replied smoothly, "Well, at least it'll be fun with the Mudbloods around. There are more people to hex."

The disgusted children cracked a smile at that while Harry let out a short laugh. The tense atmosphere relaxed again and soon enough, they were back on their conversation before the Mudblood interrupted. The light outside the window dimmed and the lamps in the train were switched on as the train rattled on closer to Hogwarts. The children were almost beside themselves with excitement (though they kept it well-hidden) when they heard the announcement that they were reaching the station in ten minutes. Harry stood up and pointed his wand to himself, muttering something. His clothes were replaced by the black Hogwarts' robes that the rest were already wearing from the beginning of the trip. They looked extremely impressed by the show of magic and the quality of robes that Harry wore. It looked just as carefully-sewn and tailored like their own.

The train soon came to a grinding halt. Draco stood up and gestured at the door. "Shall we?" he said, his tone slightly mocking. Daphne cuffed him around the ear when she passed him as they trooped out of the compartment and into the crowded corridor. They were hustled out of the train and they heard a booming shout, "First-'ears this way!"

Draco could make out the large man's silhouette in the shadows and indicated that they should move towards to the man. He had heard about the yelling man. He was Rubeus Hagrid, the gamekeeper of Hogwarts. Draco wrinkled his nose at the man when he saw the state of his robes. The large man was still shouting at the mass of students for the first years to follow him. With his bushy dark hair, the man was a terrifying sight to behold and many first-years were already cringing as he walked past them.

"Alright!" Hagrid yelled. "Follow me! No pushing! First-'ears this way!"

He then spun around and led them away from the rest of the students. Draco made sure that his friends were close before following the gamekeeper. He scowled when he saw that Hagrid was petting Avery on the head. It irked him that the stuck up Boy who Lived was being pampered by even the gamekeeper of Hogwarts. Disgusted, he resisted the urge to hex the large man and Avery at the same time. He instead focused on walking properly like how he was taught.

"Okay then!" the man yelled again. "Into the boats! No more than four per boat!"

They had reached the lake. Draco took a look at his friends and motioned for Goyle, Crabbe and Harry to follow him into a boat. Blaise shrugged and went off with Pansy and Daphne to find another boat as they climbed into a nearby boat. When everyone had climbed into the boats that lined the shore, Hagrid pointed a frilly, pink umbrella in front of him and bellowed, "FORWARD!"

The boats begun to lurch forward and without paddles or any sort of visible propeller, they glided on the\water noiselessly together in a group. Draco stared around, looking for the castle that was going to be his home for some time. Crabbe and Goyle were looking rather scared as they eyed the surface of the lake, nearly jumping everytime they heard a small splash. Harry was looking ahead of him and was ignoring everything else.

But they all jerked up when they heard Pansy scream, "DAPHNE!"

Draco spun around to see his friend, Daphne, lose balance over the edge of her boat and with a shocked cry, fell into the icy water. Blaise hurried to grab her but missed. Draco's heart skipped a beat as he watched helplessly as his friend was submerged into the lake. Pansy was screaming and Blaise just looked shocked. Draco looked around hurriedly to find someone who could save his friend but found no one. Instead, he was surrounded by useless looking first-years who looked as though they were going to faint soon. Hagrid was booming out something but no one listened to him. Draco's eyes fixed on two boys who were sniggering at the back of the group. He felt his hatred rising as he spotted their red hairs- one flaming red while the other, a darker red.

But before he could shout at them, he turned to see his new friend Harry diving into the water. Draco's mouth fell open as he hurriedly looked into the lake, trying to see his friends within the dark depths. His mind was filled with the stories of mermaids and the giant squid which lived in the lake. As each story played in his mind, he felt himself growing colder with fear. The boats had come to a stop but Hagrid did not do anything to save the two children from the water. He was just standing up; looking completely horrified but did nothing.

Minutes passed and the first-years were completely silent. They looked around, eyes raking the surface of the lake to find any sign of a boy and a girl, but found none. Draco's heart plummeted as the minutes passed and just sitting in the boat- waiting was a torture. He could not believe that no one could save his friends. Crabbe and Goyle were sporting looks of horror while Blaise was still in a state of shock. Pansy was already crying earnestly as she clutched onto Blaise. Draco was still staring at the spot where Harry had dived into the lake.

"HARRY!"

Draco leapt to his feet, shouting his friend's name in relief, when he saw him emerge from the water a few feet away from the group of boats. Draco was staring at Harry, searching for Daphne and nearly collapsed in relief when he saw her blonde head resting on Harry's shoulder. Harry's arm was around her and he swam towards them with one hand, his legs paddling behind him. Harry brought them to Blaise's boat and allowed Pansy pull Daphne out of the water first. He was then pulled into the boat by Blaise.

Draco nearly cheered when he saw Blaise's thumbs-up that showed that his two friends were fine. He clapped Crabbe and Goyle on their backs and gave Blaise his biggest grin and squinted to take a look at Daphne and Harry. She lay on the boat's floor, looking tired and terrified but nonetheless unhurt. Harry however was already sitting up and he was wearing the same mask of indifference. He looked completely unscathed. They were both dripping wet though.

Hagrid then shouted, "Alright then! Since we are all back on the boats, let us continue!"

Draco shot the man a dirty look. He was disgusted that the gamekeeper did not do anything to save his friends. He was even more upset when the gamekeeper did not even realise that the ones who had caused Daphne to fall were the Potter and Weasley blockheads. Throwing a glare over his shoulder, he felt satisfied to see that Avery and Ron were looking rather upset that their 'prank' failed thanks to Harry's timely saving. Draco made a mental note to tell his father about Harry and the way he saved Daphne. He was sure that his new friend would be rewarded generously by his father and Daphne's for saving her.

"Do you think they'll be alright Draco?" asked Crabbe.

Draco nodded and glanced at them. Harry was pointing his wand at Daphne and there was the sound of a rush of wind. Daphne's robes dried out immediately and she looked the same as she did before she boarded the boats. Harry then pointed his wand at himself and dried himself out. Draco felt a rush of appreciation at their newly found friend who was powerful and smart. He saved Daphne and by the Slytherin code of honour and friendship, he was now one of them. Even if he did turn out to be a Mudblood, they owed him.

Cries of surprise and wonder filled the lake as they neared the castle. The lights of the castle were like a beacon of hope and a new beginning to most and they were all eager to reach the shore to start their year at Hogwarts. Draco kept himself from grinning when he saw the castle- he had a name to protect afterall. Crabbe and Goyle however, were already gaping at the castle in amazement. Draco mentally smacked himself on the forehead when he saw his friends' open admiration of the castle. They were so slow and dim-witted sometimes. They were not supposed to show any sign of their true feelings at all in the midst of strangers- this was a lesson all respectable, pureblood children were taught. Draco had a feeling that they did not even listen during their etiquette training.

When the boats finally reach the shore, the children hurriedly climbed out of the boats. Draco went quickly to Daphne to check if she was alright. She smiled wanly when he neared. "Are you alright Daphne?" Draco asked, concerned. She still looked pale but did not have any sort of scratches or bruises on her skin.

She nodded and gave Harry who stood behind them silently a fleeting look. "I would not have been if not thanks to Harry," she replied wistfully.

Draco walked over to Harry, ignoring Hagrid's shout for them to hurry up and follow him to the castle. Clasping a hand on Harry's shoulder, he thanked Harry for saving his friend and was graced with a true smile from Harry. Draco returned the smile and gestured for them to follow the group of first-years to the castle. Making a mental note to complain about Potter and Weasley's dangerous prank, he led his group of friends up the steps to the castle.

When they caught up with the rest, Hagrid was already pounding his meaty fist on the large oak doors that were closed. The first-years held their breath in anticipation and the doors swung open to reveal a stern looking witch. She wore rimmed glasses that were perched rather low on her nose and her hair was worn in a very tight bun. Her robes swept the floor and a black pointy hat sat primly on her head. Her straight posture and her pursed lips gave her a grim appearance that signalled to them that she was not one to be trifled with.

She peered at them with her piercing eyes, carefully assessing the first-years. Many of them shifted uncomfortably when she laid her eyes on them and when she was finally satisfied with them, she said imperiously, "Thank you Hagrid. I will take it from here."

With that, Hagrid turned on his large heel and with a cheerful goodbye to Avery and Ron, he strode back down the steps and was soon out of sight.

The woman then greeted them. "Welcome to Hogwarts."

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**I guess you all know what every writer wants. REVIEW PLEASE!**


	5. Chapter 5 The Sorting

**CHAPTER 5- The Sorting **

**Thanks for the reviews, favourites and alerts! Time to answer a review:**

**Dracon8607: Nope, it is never too late to suggest anything , or pairings as you asked. I am open to ideas but please don't ask for slash cos I really have no IDEA how to write slash.  
**

**Mindgameplay: Thanks for the info! I didn't realise!**

That is all! Onto the story!

* * *

"Welcome to Hogwarts."

That was the best words that every first-year heard that day. It was a promise that they would start their magical learning and a new life, living in the school with friends and no parents. A start to their independence and the promise of a good future if they did well. Every first-year shivered in delight or fright as they thought about the days and months to come.

The witch continued, "I am Professor McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts. Follow me."

With that, she turned and walked away purposefully into the interior of the castle. The first-years hesitated but finally, a sandy-haired boy stepped forward first, leading the first-years into following the professor who did not once look back to check if they were behind her. They hurried to keep up with her long strides, staring around the large corridors of the castle in wonder. The numerous portraits hung from the walls and the painted figures were moving and watching them curiously. Some students let out a small shriek when a nearby portrait of a witch sneezed. The witch pulled out a handkerchief from her robes and blew her nose, while muttering apologies to the frightened students.

Professor McGonagall led them to a large flight of stone stairs, which she begun to climb. The first-years hurried to follow her up, their footsteps pattering on the stone floor. Draco felt impatient for the Sorting to start and for him to take his place at the Slytherin table. He also had to sit down to write a letter to his father about Harry and his amazing rescue of Daphne. He also had to complain to a professor (most preferably Snape) about the dangerous prank that Potter and Weasley played on his friend. Draco shook his head tiredly, pondering on everything he had to do and he sighed internally at his busy life. _Ah well, I am the Heir of Malfoy. What am I to do? _He mused.

McGonagall came to a stop at the top of the stairs and spun around to look domineeringly at the first-years who halted a few steps below her. They looked nervous and waited for the witch to speak.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room.  
'The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.  
'The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarted yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

She glanced pointedly at Weasley's messy state of robes and at Potter's rat's nest of hair before saying, "I will return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly." She spun around on her heel and strode over to the huge closed doors before them. The doors magically opened to let her pass as she neared and the moment it opened, sounds of laughter and chatter escaped from the room behind the oak doors. Draco felt his excitement heightened at the sounds of his seniors behind the closed doors and it did not die out even when the doors shut again, blocking all noises out from the deserted corridors that the first years were standing in. He stared at the now closed doors, willing it to hurry up and open so that he could enter and be sorted into Slytherin, the greatest house in Hogwarts. He yearned to be in that house that will bring him greatness.

But his thoughts of majesty were interrupted by the loud and obnoxious voice of Avery Potter. "So," Avery drawled behind Draco, "The snakes have to depend on a stranger to save their own friend. What a failure you snakes are."

Draco turned around in a flash. He could not believe that Potter had the nerve to talk bad about them when he had nearly sentenced Daphne to a watery death sentence. She could have drowned or be eaten by the giant squid. And it was all thanks to the red-headed duo. He snarled at the smirking Avery and was about to pull his wand out when Harry placed a hand on his shoulder, restraining him from hexing the Boy who Lived into oblivion. Draco growled as he looked at Harry, extremely angered that his newfound friend had stopped him from cursing someone again. But Harry's green eyes were flashing dangerously, warning him not to do anything stupid such as hurting Potter. He gulped down a coming snap at his friend and relaxed his tight hold on his wand. Harry nodded at him, almost as though he was silently thanking him for not hexing the now snarling Avery who looked very upset that he had not urged Draco enough to make a move on him.

"So, you are one of the slimy snakes as well, aren't you?" Avery continued, this time his ire locked on Harry. "And you better watch out- I will tell my father how you attacked Ron and I in the train."

"Always running to Daddy, aren't you Potter?" mocked Draco, unable to stop himself from retaliating. "Well, unlike your father, _my _father has more power than yours. I will tell him how you made Daphne fall off the boat."

Avery paled a little at that but replied angrily, "I am the Boy who Lived! Your father can't do anything to me!"

Draco was about to retort back when Harry growled, "Silence, both of you."

His voice was a warning to both of them and Draco scowled at him. Harry just looked completely uninterested but glared at both of them but said nothing further as they had stopped bickering. Avery looked mad that the person who had destroyed his prank had the nerve to tell him to be quiet but he did not say anything since the memory of Harry's anger and power from the train, was still fresh in his mind. Draco just shot Avery a death look but did nothing other than that. He straightened his robes and raised his chin to place back the air of grandeur before the sorting. Luckily, McGonagall walked out of the room, which was undoubtedly the Great Hall, when he had finished perfecting his appearance.

"Move along now," she ordered sharply, "the Sorting Ceremony's about to start."

She then turned around and led them to the doors which again opened as they neared. Draco took a deep breath before following her, taking a glance back to ensure that his friends were all nearby. Daphne and Pansy were trying their best to look uncaring but their eyes were shining in excitement. Crabbe and Goyle were already gawping in open wonder and nervousness. Blaise and Harry however, were sporting looks of indifference. Blaise was checking his fingernails while Harry looked mildly bored. Draco shook his head in exasperation at his seemingly, unfeeling friends before turning around to follow the rest of the first years into the Great Hall. Each step he took sent a course of exhilaration through his body as he neared the hall.

When he stepped into the hall, he was greeted by many students sitting at four long tables. They were all dressed in their black Hogwarts robes and were all wearing a pointy black hat. They were all watching them as Professor McGonagall led them down the aisle in the middle of the hall and to the front. Draco raised his chin higher as he felt thousands of eyes on him. Although most of them were warm stares, he felt a little pressurised to uphold the Malfoy name. He ignored them completely and continued walking; bearing himself with all the poise he could muster. He did not stare at the enchanted ceiling that looked like the night-sky. He disdainfully glared at most of the first-years who looked openly impressed by the ceiling and felt close to puking when he heard the irritating voice of the Granger girl saying, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in _Hogwarts, A History_."

_It is as though she knows everything, _Draco thought, irritated.

They soon reached the front of the hall and he saw all the teachers looking at them with a mixture of emotions. Dumbledore, the Headmaster, was the same as always- looking grandfatherly and his blue eyes twinkling as he inspected the new batch of students. Severus Snape, the Potion Master, looked completely bored but he shot James Potter, the Defence against the Dark Arts professor, some angry looks. James was oblivious to the glares though as he was grinning at the first-years, no doubt proud to see his son among them. Draco felt even more upset that the father of the arrogant Potter was a professor in the school. He knew that he and his friends would be up against a lot of unfairness in Hogwarts.

Professor McGonagall placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years and on top of the stool, she put a pointy wizard's hat which was extremely old, dirty and frayed. Silence fell in the hall as everyone looked at the hat expectantly. Draco felt stupid, staring at the old hat as though it would suddenly do a somersault in mid-air or something.

Then the hat moved and a tear on the hat began to move:

_Oh you may not think me pretty,  
But don't judge on what you see,  
I'll eat myself if you can find  
A smarter hat than me.  
You can keep your bowlers black,  
Your top hats sleek and tall,  
For I'm the __Hogwarts__ Sorting Hat  
And I can cap them all.  
There's nothing hidden in your head  
The Sorting Hat can't see,  
So try me on and I will tell you  
Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in __Gryffindor__,  
Where dwell the brave at heart,  
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry  
Set __Gryffindor__s apart;  
You might belong in __Hufflepuff__,  
Where they are just and loyal,  
Those patient __Hufflepuff__s are true  
And unafraid of toil;  
Or yet in wise old __Ravenclaw__,  
if you've a ready mind,  
Where those of wit and learning,  
Will always find their kind;  
Or perhaps in __Slytherin__  
You'll make your real friends,  
Those cunning folks use any means  
To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_  
_And don't get in a flap!_  
_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_  
_For I'm a Thinking Cap!_

Applause broke out at the end of the song and Draco felt relieved that the Sorting was just as simple as putting on a dirty old hat. Although he knew that the Sorting was nothing dangerous, his father never told him that the hat would do the sorting. Draco felt pleased that he did not need to show any sign of magical talent for the sorting, in front of everybody. Apparently, he was not the only one who was relieved. Ron Weasley had whispered loudly about how he was going to kill someone called Fred for telling him that they had to wrestle a troll to be sorted. Draco scoffed at the very thought. No one in the right mind would tell a first-year to defeat a troll, just to be sorted into a house. It was absurd! Even more absurd than wearing a dirty hat that could talk. It was safe and no one would be injured- a perfect way to sort him with the betters from the ones who were beneath him. There was a bad point though: He had to get his hair dirty from wearing that hat that looked as though it was just stuffed into a shelf after each Sorting and never washed. Draco wondered how long ago its last wash was.

Professor McGonagall was unrolling a long piece of parchment and she said loudly over the loud chatter of the hall, "When I call your name, you will come up and sit on the stool and wait for the hat to sort you."

That silenced the hall and everyone was now watching McGonagall carefully. She called out, "Abbot, Hannah!"

A mousy looking, brown haired girl rushed forward, her complexion pale. She sat on the stool, trying her best to look smaller than she already was. McGonagall placed the hat on her head and everyone waited.

A few seconds later, the tear on the hat opened and it cried out, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

Cheers erupted from the table filled with innocent-looking students who had the bearings of someone who would never, ever, harm even a fly. Hannah Abbot looked extremely relieved as she allowed McGonagall to pull the hat from her head. She then rushed to the cheering table, smiling as she was accepted by her new housemates.

McGonagall then continued with the Sorting.

"Bones, Susan!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Brown, Lavender!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

A louder cheer came from the table which the lions sat, their red and gold ties blinking in the candle-light that lighted up the hall. They continued screaming and applauding for the first person who was sorted into Gryffindor. Draco felt slightly disgusted watching them act like over-excited monkeys with no sense of a respectful poise and posture. Wrinkling his nose, he turned to watch a stocky-looking girl (Bulstrode, Millicent) to be sorted into Slytherin. As expected, nobody except the grim-looking Slytherins applauded for her. They did not cheer or shout but gave her a polite welcome to their ranks. _That is the proper way to act, _Draco thought approvingly, _no way is my future house ever going to act like a bunch of barbaric trolls._

The Sorting went on and Draco tapped his foot impatiently for his turn to be sorted. He grimaced when he saw the Mudblood Hermione Granger being sorted into Gryffindor. That gave him another reason to hate that house. As though he did not have enough reasons to do so.

As the 'Ls' ended with the sorting of a girl being sorted into Ravenclaw, McGonagall finally called upon the 'Ms'.

It was not long before she called out his name"Malfoy, Draco!"

Said boy sauntered to the front, head up high and acting as haughty as he possibly could. But when he turned to face the hall, he caught eye with Daphne, Crabbe and Goyle at the Slytherin table and winked at them before sitting regally on the not-so-majestic stool. The hat was lowered and he tried not to blanch when he thought about how the hat would leave its filth on his perfectly-combed head. But the hat never touched him and it shouted, almost bored, "SLYTHERIN!"

A grin broke out on his face and he stood up and walked over to the Slytherin table. When he passed Harry and Blaise, he smiled at them and Blaise rolled his eyes, as though saying that he did not expect anything less. Harry just looked very amused but said nothing as well. Malfoy sauntered to his table, noting with pride how his housemates were clapping really loudly for him. He sat beside Daphne and said, "Was there any doubt that I would not get into Slytherin?"

Daphne laughed and shook her head. She then said, "Well, I know Blaise would enter Slytherin but there is someone else we are not sure about."

"We should listen up to the Sorting," Goyle said, "Harry will be sorted soon and we will find out his real name!"

The childhood friends nodded eagerly at that and was just in time to hear "Nott, Theodore" be sorted into their house as well. Clapping hard for the boy, they hurriedly focused on the Sorting as they waited impatiently for their newfound friend to go up after his name has been called. They were extremely curious to whom he really was and though he seemed honest enough, they could not help but feel that he was more than what they had seen.

"Potter, Avery!"

Draco watched with distaste as the dark red haired boy swaggered forward to be sorted. His face was the very picture of arrogance, just like his father and Draco was not even the slightest bit surprised to hear the hat shout, "GRYFFINDOR!" the moment it touched the boy's head. Avery broke into a very huge and silly grin and got up from the stool to run to the Gryffindor table which was going berserk. Two identical, red haired, boys were screaming, "WE GOT POTTER!" again and again. Draco felt disgusted to see the Headmaster clapping proudly for him and was even more upset by the fact that even the Headmaster was siding Avery. Snarling, he focused on the next person being sorted to block out the crazy cheering from the rest of the tables. His housemates just glared at the craziness that was happening beyond their table, irritated at the spectacular noise they were making.

Draco watched as the number of first-years waiting to be sorted dwindled as each minute progressed. It was not long until Blaise and Harry were left. Draco glanced at Daphne, confused. They knew that Blaise would probably be the last one to be sorted, with his last name starting with 'Z' afterall. As Draco raked his memory for another wizarding name that starts with a 'Z', he watched Blaise being called forward to be sorted. Of course, he was sorted into Slytherin the moment the hat touched his head.

After the clapping from the Slytherin table died out, Blaise, who was now sitting beside Draco, hurriedly whispered, "Harry told me that he was not going to be sorted until the end after Pansy was sorted. Dunno why but he said that he would talk to Dumbledore after I was sorted."

Draco nodded and turned quickly to see McGonagall frowning at Harry. The hall was silent again as they quietened to see the sorting of the last first-year. But McGonagall did not call his name. She was staring at the piece of parchment, her eyebrows creased as she searched the list of names carefully. After a few roves of the parchment, she rolled it back up and walked over to Harry. Looking down at him, she asked, "What is your name? I can't seem to remember missing any names."

Harry looked up to search her face before looking past her to fix eyes with Dumbledore. The students were really silent now. Such a situation never happened in Hogwarts and Draco felt a little worried for his friend. Had he not been accepted to Hogwarts?

Harry then said loudly so that the entire hall could hear, "I was expecting better treatment than this Lord Dumbledore, or should I say Headmaster?"

Dumbledore stood up, his eyes twinkling confusedly behind his half-moon spectacles. He seemed to be searching his memory for an answer to the strange situation. Finding none, he asked carefully, "May I enquire to your name, young lad?"

Draco watched as Harry said nothing. Instead, he shook back his sleeve to show his silver snake bracelet to Dumbledore. Draco did not understand how that would solve anything. It was just a bracelet afterall.

Dumbledore, however, seemed to understand what the bracelet meant. His eyes widened comically and they stopped twinkling. He looked extremely shocked and Draco was even more worried and confused. He had no idea what was going on and it seemed like everybody else, except Harry and Dumbledore, was in the same position as him. The hall was so quiet that he could hear the heavy breathing of some people from across the hall.

Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak but what he wanted to say was drowned out by the loud complaint of Ron Weasley. "Oh, just throw him out of Hogwarts since he was not even accepted," the youngest Weasley grumbled loudly, oblivious to the fact that everyone could hear. "Stop wasting everybody's time and delaying the feast. I want to …"

But what he wanted to do was never spoken as he started spluttering at that moment. He grabbed his throat and he was making wheezing sounds as though he could not breathe. Draco watched the youngest red-head's face grew ruddier as he struggled to breathe. People all around him were trying their best to make him breathe again- some were casting spells on him while his twin brothers were thumping him hard on his back. But nothing worked. Ron continued to wheeze in exertion and pain.

"Please stop!" Dumbledore nearly shouted, his eyes twinkling madly behind his spectacles. "Release your hold on young Ron!"

Draco was even more baffled by the Headmaster's words. Who on earth was he talking to? But his plea seemed to work as Ron was now able to breathe. His face was returning to its normal colour and the shell-shocked students breathed out a sigh of relief but it was not long before they looked at the Slytherin's table with suspicion all written on their faces. Draco felt like hexing them for blaming them for the Weasley's demise. It was not their fault!

Dumbledore was breathing hard now as he eyed Harry carefully. The old man pulled himself to his greatest height and gazed upon Harry. Draco felt his heart beating even faster as he eyed his friend in front of the hall. He had a feeling something big was going to happen.

Dumbledore relieved himself of a held breath. "Welcome to Hogwarts, Lord Septimus of the Blood," he announced.

"My pleasure Headmaster," Harry replied smoothly, though it was clear it was not.

Silence fell. Everyone was staring at Harry, or Septimus, as Dumbledore called him. Draco felt as though someone had just dropped a Dungbomb on his head. The boy who had saved Daphne and the one who sat with them during the train ride was Lord Septimus all along! Draco shared a completely shocked and frightened look with his friends. They had talked about him during their train ride, planning what to do with a friendship with him when he was there from the very beginning. Draco felt scared of what Harry, or Septimus, would and could do to him. It was obvious that Ron's sudden fit was of Harry's doing. That was the Blood Lord at play- he had controlled Ron's body and decided to make a show of his powers. Though it was not much, Draco knew that it was enough to scare people as a simple demonstration of Harry's power could lead to death if he had not relieved Ron from his hold.

"Perhaps you would like to be sorted, young lord."

Harry nodded and strolled towards the stool, expertly ignoring everyone's stares and frighetened looks at him. He sat on the stool and McGonagall dropped the hat on his head as though scared to come nearer to the one who controlled the element of Blood. The hat flopped onto the boy's head and everyone was staring at it, all hoping that he would not be sorted into their house. But the Slytherins were all hoping for the exact opposite. Harry would be a powerful ally and that was what every snake wanted- power. Draco found himself wishing for Harry (or Septimus, chiding himself for calling the Blood Lord such a common name again) to be seated next to him.

A minute passed and the tear in the hat finally moved, exciting everyone.

"SLYTHERIN!"

The Slytherin table jumped to their feet, all dignity forgotten as they cheered for the Lord of the Blood to come to their table. Harry smirked at them and pulled the old hat from his head, stuffing it into McGonagall's hands before striding over to them with long, regal steps. He smiled graciously at the Slytherins as he passed by them, ignoring the glares he was now receiving from every other house members. He shook hands and sat himself in front of Draco.

He took a look at them and his small smile slipped off his face. "What?" he asked. "I told you I would surprise you."

No one answered as they were all too busy staring at him in shock. Their new friend was the Lord of the Blood, someone who can control of the very life within their bodies with a single thought. While most friends are someone who shared the same interests as them and such, their friend was someone who could kill them, even before they could say 'help'.

They made an extremely powerful and dangerous friend that day but neither of them could say that they regretted it.

Blaise was the first to recover from his shock. He quickly placed his face of indifference. "So, I wonder how the food here is like?" he asked casually, as though nothing ever happened.

Harry grinned at the nonchalant comment and even the rest of them could not resist snorting or smiling at that remark. They took a look at each other's faces and Pansy started giggling, followed by Daphne. It was not long before they were all roaring in laughter, shocking everyone in the hall who was still staring at Harry. All dignity forgotten, they laughed so hard that even Dumbledore had to shout at them to be silent so that he could start the feast.

Draco wiped a tear that was threatening to fall out from his eye as he tried to control his laughter. Although his father would be extremely upset that he had made a fool of himself in front of the crowd, he was positive that his father would be beside himself when he told him that he had befriended Lord Septimus. Harry might be a frightening and powerful boy, but in the end, he was still their friend. And to them, the first-years snakes, that was all that mattered.

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Severus Snape was dumbfounded. He never saw the tremendous show of power coming from such a boy. He never thought someone could be so powerful; to be able to control and stop someone from breathing wordlessly, wandlessly and even worse- easily. The boy, who was introduced as Lord Septimus of the Blood, did not even look as though that show of power took a lot of his energy when it should. Oh no, Septimus looked bored and even a little amused by everyone's fear of him. Snape could already predict that the boy was going to be a very powerful man when he grows up. That would be really something since the boy was already very talented and connected. He could order a Dementor's Kiss on anybody and no one could stop him.

But that was not the thing that mattered most to him. The boy being in Slytherin, his house, was not the thing that shocked him to the core. It was not the fact that he was already good friends with children of Death Eaters. It was the eyes. The hauntingly, similar eyes that could only have belonged to Lily Potter who was now dead.

They were the same as he remembered. Almond-shaped, emerald green eyes that were flecked with some sparks of a lighter green. They were large on the boy's heart shaped face and they were framed by thick eyelashes that were so heavy that it made the boy's eyelids drop slightly, making him look forever in a half-dream. The way the boy stared at the Headmaster was creepily identical to how Lily would look at him, searching and piercing at the same time. The way he cocked his head and the way he narrowed his eyes- Snape felt like a reincarnation of Lily just walked into the hall, dressed in the skin of a boy that looked quite similar to James Potter, only better.

Septimus did not have the same arrogant look that James Potter always sported and he certainly did not look as half-witted as the older man (at least, that was what Snape believes). While James had normal, imperfect lips, the boy had a better, fuller and perfect set that also reminded Snape of Lily's very own ones. His high cheekbones were more defined than Potter and he had a better sculptured nose and chin. His face was a balanced combination of curves and angles, making the boy seem like an angel that had dropped from Heaven, if it even exists. He was a view of perfection and complete balance of two completely differing features. He, Snape concluded, could not even be possibly human. He was too perfect and to Snape, perfection was the sign of a better being. Lily had her flaws, even with all her other perfect features and that showed she was purely human.

Snape stared at the boy, unable to tear away from looking into the boy's freakishly, identical eyes that he dreamed about everytime he sleeps. They were not similar; they were _identical_. An exact replica and that just scared and fascinated the Potions Master. Deep in his heart, Snape knew that the boy was somehow related to Lily and he was determined to find out how. He was a fan of anything Lily and since the boy was having her eyes, he had to delve deeper into the mysteries of the Lord of Blood.

Sitting back in his throne-like chair, he glanced at James Potter who was beaming at his son; an annoyingly, exact replica of the arrogant father. It seemed like he did not notice that Septimus had eyes identical of his late wife and that irked Snape. Her very own husband did not realise that the boy might be related to her in some way or another. All he cared for was his son, the Boy who Lived. Snape gritted his teeth, furious that Potter was the very meaning of the saying: Out of sight, out of mind. How Snape hated him for forgetting his wife in his arrogance and big-headedness.

Taking one more look to his house's table, he sought refuge in the boy's eyes again, allowing the green depths to calm himself down. He then tore away from those eyes in order to not hurt himself emotionally again. He looked down at his plate, trying his best not to look up again. But it was then when he made a promise to himself to find out whom that Septimus really was.

And how he was connected to Lily, his childhood love.

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**Yup, this chapter's a little short and yes, it's something like a filler chapter. But no worries, the next few chapters would be better and more promising! So please REVIEW!**


	6. Chapter 6 The power of a Blood Lord

**CHAPTER 6- The power of a Blood Lord**

**Thank you for all the magnificent reviews! I really love you guys! It is so heartening to know that many of you support my story! Thank you very much!**

**To answer a few reviews:**

**Agnieszka-luv-HP: ****Thank you for such wonderful reviews! I really appreciate it! And yes, the snake eating its tail is a family symbol but I'll bring it in later on. And the scenes between the brothers: There will be more later on during the summer holidays. Now is purely Hogwarts' scene.  
And the purebloods do not like Hermione from the very beginning you see. And the way she introduced herself and expected everyone to do the same is just wronf in the purebloods' eyes. In their community, the better ones (in this case the pureblood children) choose if they want to introduce themselves. But Hermione, being a Muggleborn, does not know this and her attitude was basically demanding them to tell her their names. Not a very nice thing, according to the Slytherin first-years.**

**And Harry is not his real name- that is his nickname. His full name is Harrison. **

**And if you are free, I sure love to have you as a beta! Thanks for the offer!**

**Olciak123: ****Thank you for your comments! Makes me feel happy that you feel that way!**

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"First-years follow me please!" rang out the voice of the Slytherin prefect.

The Opening feast has ended and everyone was now rushing to their respective dorms, all eager to fall into their beds and have a good, long rest. As they trooped out of the Great Hall, table by table, Draco caught some whispers about what the Headmaster had mentioned earlier. They were all talking about the third-floor corridor that was out of bounds and according to Dumbledore, anyone who goes there is a dead man. Or so he said. It was obvious that no one really took his words seriously; Draco had heard the Weasley twins planning loudly to go there and check things out. He too felt the urge to find out what was hidden in the third-floor corridor that Dumbledore had warned them about.

Gathering his robes around him so that he would not trip, Draco hurriedly rushed to the head of the Slytherin first-years, ready to take his position as the head of their year. He was a Malfoy and as one, he had power and connections and everyone in Slytherin knew not to mess around with him. Seeing no one who dared to move forward to take his position in front, he smirked and spun gracefully so to follow the impatient-looking prefect who was waiting for them to get in line. Draco smiled graciously at his friends and motioned for them to fall in step behind him, a sign that a powerful clique was being made in the first-year ranks already. However, Harry did not join them at the front. Instead, he lingered at the back of the first-years, looking uninterested at Draco and his friends' taking of power. He looked bored and cocked an eyebrow at Draco questioningly when the latter motioned at him to be beside him. But Harry did not move from the back of the line- he merely ignored Draco, causing the said boy to feel embarrassed and angered by the young lord's nonchalant attitude with him.

Draco decided to let him go for a while and followed the prefect, head held high and walking as perfectly as possible. Behind him, his friends followed effortlessly while the rest of the first-years tried to keep up with their fast pace, yet walking with regal strides. Harry, at the back, was keeping up easily, but he was still looking magnificently bored. Draco was irritated to see that Harry looked totally unimpressed by the magnificence of Hogwarts castle. Although Draco was a rich pureblood with numerous large estates all over the world under his family name, they could not be matched to Hogwarts' splendour. But Harry looked as though he had seen better and it irked Draco a little. He kept on forgetting that the boy was a lord of a _country _and there was no doubt that he was richer than everyone in Slytherin combined.

The prefect led them to the dungeons and increased his pace as he directed them through many doors and labyrinth-styled corridor. Draco felt that he had passed some of the portraits at least twice but after careful looks at each of the similar pair, he realised that they were slightly different but the difference was really small- almost minute. If it was not for his sharp eyes and observing skills, he would not have noticed anything. Draco knew that this was a precaution laid by the great Slytherin himself so that the pureblood children would not be harmed by jealous and harsh students from other houses who which seek to harm the Slytherins in their very own dormitories. And since Draco knew that all pureblood and half blood children with good upbringing would be able to discern the differences between each portrait, each turn and each similar looking corridor. It was a skill of observance that they were taught from young- it helped them pick out the weak from the strong and it was extremely useful in identifying the liars among the truthful. Now, the same skill was being used here in Hogwarts. Draco felt a sense of appreciation to Salazar Slytherin who had thought out on how to protect the important, pureblood children with distinguished family names.

It was not long before they halted in front of a wet-looking section of a wall. This section was about the size of a normal sized bedroom door, only a little larger so that two or three adults could walk in side by side. It was a darker grey than the rest of the wall but of course, this feature of that section of the wall was extremely subtle and any normal person would walk past it without a glance. But, again, thanks to their much sharper and observant eyes, the Slytherins were able to pick out the strange section of their wall almost immediately. Of course, Crabbe and Goyle looked completely confused and lost. They had been that way since they first past the first pair of similar-looking portraits.

The prefect looked at the first-years, waiting to get their attention before turning to the wall. "_Purus Sanguinem_," he said importantly and to the first-years' shock, the wall melted away into a grand stone archway that led to the Slytherin Common Room.

The prefect ushered them through the archway and Draco was satisfied with what he found. Dark green hangings and silver skull lanterns hung low from the ceiling that seemed too far away to be seen with a naked eye. The windows were made of crystal and there were snakes carved into the crystal. The railings were rimmed with gold and from the windows, a greenish light poured into the common room. The room was slightly circular, with some rectangular extensions at the left side for extra space. The floor was made of a cold, smooth stone but once it neared the comfortable looking couches, the stone was covered with green carpeting that looked like freshly mown grass. The couches were of a mixture of three different colours- emerald green, silver and black- and they were adorned with designs of snakes and skulls. There were several huge stone fireplace with snakes carved into the stone, already blazing with a greenish fire that looked similar to the flame of Floo. Several armchairs made semi-circles around each fireplace and a glass coffee table was placed neatly in the middle of each semi-circle. Several elder students were already making themselves comfortable in the armchairs, dragging them closer to the fire. That was understandable since the dungeons were rather cold. Despite the rather depressing look of the common room, the youngest Slytherins rather like the grand atmosphere of the room. This was where future alliances and business proposals were made. And this was home for them for many months.

The Prefect brought them further in, warning them to watch their step as there were some stairs a few feet after the doorway. He called for them to gather around him and another prefect, a tall girl with raven eyes and hair, called for the other Slytherins to be silent so that he could speak.

"Welcome to Slytherin, first-years and this is going to be your home forever, even when you leave Hogwarts."

"This is the Common Room, where everyone could sit down and relax or to catch up with homework, if you so wish. As you noticed, the green light is actually the light from the lake. We are directly within the lake so; please do not be frightened if you see a fish or some other underwater creatures appearing at the windows. The windows are hard; they would not break under any sort of spell or force. The notice board near the door is important- every fortnight, a new password will be set up and it is very important that you take note of the changes or else you would be sleeping outside in the cold corridors until someone has the heart to let you in.

"Girls' dormitories are on the right," he continued, pointing at another doorway with a sharp curve to lead them into a corridor deeper into the lake. He then gestured to the doorway beside the girls' corridor and said, "Boys' are on the left. As Slytherins, we boys are not to enter the girls' dorms at any time. You must not even stick your foot into the doorway as the great Slytherin had placed some very nasty spells to protect every single Slytherin girl from undignified men. Not that we are any, I hope."

"I am Marcus Flint. I am also the Slytherin Quidditch Captain so I will be keeping an eye out for you young ones. If any of you are talented, please inform me so that I can begin your assessment and training before your proper trials that you can only take part in second year. But do not hesitate to ask me to reserve a spot for you if you think you are worth it."

The raven-haired girl shot a warning glance at Flint, successfully shutting him up before he continued on his speech about Quidditch. She then threw her long, curly hair over her shoulder and introduced herself. "I am Emma Bole, your other prefect. Please search for Marcus and I if you are in any sort of trouble, be it within the house or outside. Of course, you can ask anyone else here, we Slytherins are family and as family, we help each other out."

"Remember that we are..." she paused, her nose wrinkling slightly as she tried to choose her words carefully, "... not really _favoured_ by the rest of the school thanks to our so-called 'evil' nature. We could not depend on anyone outside of this house so I implore to you to stick close to your own housemates and when you could, stay with at least a group of three or more friends for your own protection. Do not, and I repeat, DO NOT wander alone _anywhere_. Many students outside these dungeons would love to shoot a curse or a hex at us, if presented with the chance. So, do not give them the opportunity to harm you or any of your friends."

"We are Slytherins for a very good reason," Flint cut in when Emma stopped to take a breath. "We are cunning and always have the hunger to win. We are raised well, in order to protect our family businesses and name. We are all alike, one way or another so if you do find fault with a fellow housemate, I ask you to talk it out calmly instead of raging on one another like a pair of angry lions. All troubles within housemates are to be resolved within the Slytherin walls where it is safe and free from spies from haters. Do not take these problems outside the walls and always, ALWAYS present a united front when outside these walls. Take these words to heart, first-years, as the consequences would be dire if you do not follow and act the way a true Slytherin should. With pride and true majesty, perfection in everything you do. Do not fail any of us- you represent Slytherin and at the same time, every single one of us. Do not sully our name and pride."

Draco listened to every word, hanging onto the prefects' strong and informing speech. They made it extremely clear on the unfairness in Hogwarts and they had explained the importance of being friends with everyone in the house and how important it was not to make any sort of conflict within their own house. Thrusting his chest out, he looked around importantly at the other first-years, showing that he was ready to take his place as a Slytherin and was willing to abide by the Slytherin way. The other first-years just looked grim but said or did nothing.

Then, someone behind them said, "Well spoken Flint. I will take it from here."

Flint nodded and announced, "This is Professor Snape, our head of house as well the Potions Professor in Hogwarts. Respect him, heed his words and do not fail him."

A man dressed in black robes strode forward to the front of the first-years, looking imposingly at every single one of them. He assessed every child, sizing them out and once in a while, he gave a satisfied nod. Draco and Blaise were one of the few who had satisfied him and they gave each other big grins, knowing that they would be favoured by Snape above the rest of the Slytherins. They watched him carefully as he continued his assessment. Daphne received a nod while Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy didn't. Theodore Nott received one as well. But no one else except Harry garnered a different kind of reaction.

When Snape took a look at him, it was as though time stilled. Black, expressionless eyes met emerald green ones and they widened slightly and a flurry of emotions past through them- so fast that Draco could not even catch one of them. The Potions Master just stared at the boy who steadily held the man's gaze. Neither moved and Snape looked ready to convulse soon but hurriedly looked away from the boy. His eyes roamed everywhere but Harry and when Snape finally regained some composure, he shook his head a little as though to clear his head. Draco watched his godfather weirdly. Seeing him as emotional as that was as though he had spouted an extra two heads. But when Draco met his eyes, they were already the usual hard, onyx black.

"I am Professor Snape, your Potion Professor," he said, his voice cold and distant, "I do not expect any blunders and mistakes from this house. You are all raised and bred to be the epitome of perfection and as your head of house; I do not expect anything less. Stay close within your own house- the rest of the school could not be trusted. If you need anything, come and find me anytime. I will try my best to provide the help that you require. No matter time and place, look for me if you require my assistance. But remember, I am your head of house therefore, I expect much from my Slytherins. I do not want to hear any sort of complains from other teachers about you. If I do hear one from any teacher, I will deal with the troublemaker severely."

His eyes roamed around the first-years, causing some of them to shudder uncomfortably under his cold gaze.

"Tomorrow is the start of your lessons. I do not want you lacking in energy for your lessons. This will cause you to be clumsy during lessons and as I mentioned, I do not tolerate mistakes from anyone. So, first-years to third-years, off to bed now. Lights out at ten. For the rest, lights out at eleven. Do not let me catch you out of bed after that."

He then paused and turned to look at Harry. His black eyes flashed with something unrecognisable again. "Lord Septimus of the Blood," he said carefully, "The Headmaster wishes to know if you wish for a room of your own. If you do, preparations would be made."

Harry cocked his head, thinking and replied smoothly, "Thank you Professor but I would rather be treated like a normal student here. I will live in the dorms with the rest. And do not call me with that long title please. Call me Septimus."

"Septimus Aeternitas?" the man asked.

"No." Harry looked slightly exasperated. "Aeternitas is a family title and no one can use it as their last name. My title is Lord Septimus of the Blood, seventh brother of the Aeternitas family. My first, middle and last name is Septimus. This is the way the Aeternitas family goes."

_How completely complicated,_ Draco thought.

Nodding, Snape then replied, "Alright then Mr. Septimus. You will live with your year mates. I believe that your entire luggage is already in the dorms."

"Then off to bed, all of you."

Giving a sweeping look at every single student in the Common Room, he turned and left the Common Room, his black cloak and robes flying behind him.

Flint nodded and yelled, "Alright then! You heard the Professor! First years to third years, to your dormitories now!"

Draco quickly snatched Blaise, Crabbe, Goyle and Harry and hurriedly led them to the boys' dorm after a quick 'goodnight' to the girls. They walked down a narrow corridor and stopped by a door with Draco's, Blaise's and Harry's names emblazoned on its gold nameplate. Opposite the room was another room and Crabbe, Goyle and Nott were in that room. Bidding Crabbe and Goyle a goodnight, they entered their own room.

Their dorm room was rectangular and was completed with their own toilet and shower that was completely made of black tiles and stone. Their room was rather large, with three green and silver queen-sized beds, side by side, along the longer wall. In between each bed was a set of drawers and a chest to keep their belongings. The floor was covered with rich, green carpeting, just like the one in the common room. Above their beds were the windows where the green light entered from. A silver chandelier hung from the elaborately carved ceiling, casting the room with a soft glow.

Draco hurriedly chose his bed near the toilets while Blaise took the one furthest away. Harry was left with the middle bed and he did not look as though he cared. Sitting on the soft mattress, Draco said with a sigh, "I am glad to be finally here."

His words were met with shrugs from the other two boys, who were masters of indifference. Draco scowled at them and asked, "Harry. Do you want us to call you Septimus or Harry? I am getting rather confused. Is Harry your name or was it just an alias?"

Harry turned to smile at him and replied, "Call me Harry in private but call me Septimus anywhere else. Harry was an old name of mine. You can use it if you want but please, do not release it within the student population."

Blaise snorted and said loftily, "Of course not. You think we would tell everyone the Blood Lord's old name when he so trustingly gave it to us? Not a chance."

Harry just smiled at that and the boys hurried to change into their silken pyjamas before falling into bed. They snuggled into the rich, velvet covers and breathed in the smell of comfort from their beds. Blaise clapped his hands and the chandelier's candles were snuffed out by magic. Darkness fell in the room with only the green light from the windows illuminating the room with a soft, comforting glow.

It was not long before they fell asleep, dreaming dreams of pleasure and grandeur. Only one of them was sucked into a recurring nightmare: A woman screaming, a flash of green light and finally, pain.

* * *

"Here! Septimus, Draco, Blaise!"

Draco turned to look at Pansy waving crazily at them from the middle of Slytherin table. She was accompanied by Daphne, Tracey Davis, Millicent Bulstrode (both of them Slytherin girls), Crabbe, Goyle and Theo. They were chatting easily while eating their breakfast but stopped when Pansy called out to the three late boys.

"You are late!" huffed Daphne when the three boys finally sat with them. "What happened? I bet Blaise woke up late."

"I did not!" he retorted indignantly, "Draco spent too much time setting his hair and clothes straight! Septimus," he said, noting that there were three unfamiliar people around, "and I were ready since thirty minutes ago but we have to wait for this self-loving git."

"I am not a self-loving git!" Draco exclaimed.

"Yes, you are! Why can't you just throw your clothes on like Septimus and I? We still look better than you, even when you take an hour to get ready!"

"I look poised and regal…"

"Like I said, self-loving git. And you don't look poised and regal. You look as though someone shoved a broomstick up your arse."

The first-years Slytherins laughed hard at the two bickering boys, who continued their verbal battle on who looked the best among them. Harry watched them while spearing his scrambled eggs, trying his best not to snort when Blaise said that Draco looked more like a ferret with white hair than a prince. Pansy was already comparing the three boys and was discussing their rating with the girls, which made the boys roll their eyes. Then, when Daphne declared that Harry topped the looks chart, followed by Blaise then Draco, the last two looked completely deflated and shot the winner a jealous look. They knew too that Harry was no doubt the winner of the girls' mini-competition of beauty. With his stunning green eyes, acrostically sculptured features and his nonchalantly put on clothes which gave him a bad boy image- Harry was indeed the best in the girls' eyes. And as well as the guys, though they refused to admit it.

They continued talking about everything under the sun, enjoying their breakfast when their schedules were given out. Taking them, the Slytherins promptly grumbled and moaned about how many of the lessons they had were with the Gryffindors. Draco was extremely annoyed that he would have to be sitting with the blockheads of Gryffindor for at least two lessons each day. Blaise was loudly pondering about how he would hex anyone lion who tried to near him, much to the amusement of the rest. Pansy and Daphne said nothing though they sported equal looks of disgust. Harry, Crabbe and Goyle however, were focusing on their food, their timetables hastily stuffed into their pockets without so much as a second glance.

The time for their first lessons soon came and the first-years Slytherin got up from the table and with some difficulty, dragged the hungry Crabbe and Goyle away from their food so that they would be able to reach their first lesson, Charms, on time. Once they reached, they hurriedly took up a few tables to the side and waited for the Charms Professor, Professor Flitwick to arrive. The Ravenclaws, who shared the same lesson with them, had been the first to arrive and they were already eagerly reading their Charms textbook by the time the Slytherins reached. The Slytherins made themselves comfortable, at the same time looking completely dignified and regal. Crabbe, Goyle and Millicent, a stocky, sour-looking girl, could not accomplish the same face as the rest, serene yet bored at the same time, so they just sported the bored looks.

When Flitwick arrived, he took their attendance, stumbling slightly at Septimus's name. With a few clarifications, Flitwick looked relieved that he was able to call Septimus 'Mr. Septimus', like Snape. With that, he instructed them to try out the Levitating Charms after a few minutes of copying notes. Giving them a feather each, he watched them carefully as they tried to perform the charm, one at a time. The Ravenclaws tried their best but only a few managed to make the feather hover in front of their faces for a while. Flitwick applauded them and gave them points, saying that the rest failed due to their over-enthusiasm.

When he moved over to the Slytherins, he was extremely pleased to see that almost every student was able to do the charm at the first try. Crabbe and Goyle managed after a few tries but then again, it was due to the training they had before school. When it came to Harry, the professor nearly squealed in delight when he made the feather fly all the way to the ceiling before releasing it from the charm. Flitwick presented every student who got the feather to float in mid-air five points. For the Slytherins, that was altogether 35 points as Harry received ten for his magnificent display of the Levitating Charm.

Pleased with themselves, the Slytherins headed off to their Defence against the Dark Arts lesson which, was regrettably, with the Gryffindors. From the stories that they had heard from the rest of the Slytherins, James Potter, the professor for this particular lesson, was extremely biased and hates Slytherin. The first-year Slytherins were positive that they would lose all the points that they gained from Charms there. Steeling themselves, they entered the Defence against the Dark Arts' classroom which was already filled with the obnoxious Gryffindors who sat around the room as though it was their house.

Draco led the Slytherins to the left side of the room, instructing them to sit close and in pairs. Draco took Harry was a partner while Blaise took Theo. Daphne was with Pansy, Crabbe with Goyle and Millicent with Tracey. They then focused on their perfect bearing as usual but were interrupted by Avery shouting at them.

"Hey snakes!" Avery had said loudly. 'I bet you are all so very _proud _that a killer is among you! I mean, someone like _Lord _Septimus, he is exactly your kind of people right? Dark wizards to the boot!"

Shouts of agreement followed after Avery's proclamation and Draco felt his ears heating up. It was so like a Gryffindor to insult their betters, even when it could cause them a death threat. They called it bravery. The Slytherins called it a loose tongue.

"Shut up Potter," Draco snarled back. "We all know that you are jealous that we are considered as wizards. You can't even be _counted _as a wizard since you can't even perform a simple spell. How pitiful. I wonder how you entered Hogwarts, you Squib."

"Thirty points from Slytherin for a rude and insulting comment on a fellow schoolmate."

Everyone spun around to see James Potter standing at the doorway. He glared at the Slytherins and sauntered over to the front of the class while saying, "I do not tolerate insults on innocents so hold your tongues Slytherins."

_Oh yes, the Gryffindors are innocent, _Draco thought scathingly. He was really upset over the unfairness of this professor. And Hogwarts was supposed to be a Light school. Was it right, according to their morals, to treat children unfairly just because they were in a house that was so-called Dark? It was so unfair and uncalled for. The more Draco thought about it, the more he wanted to hex one of the Gryffindors who were smirking at them now.

James was now saying, "Welcome to your first Defence against the Dark Arts' lesson. As the name suggests, I would be teaching you how to protect yourselves from the Dark." Here, he shot a dark look at the Slytherins. "And I would also be teaching you how to defeat and differentiate the Dark Creatures. But that would be thought on a later date."

"Now, I want to see how far you all are in learning how to protect yourselves!" he declared, a grin spreading onto his face. "I will be calling two of you lot each time to have a duel! Have fun and please, no deaths." (Again, he glared at the Slytherins here.)

"Ron and Ms. Greengrass!"

The Slytherins and Gryffindors applauded for their respective representatives. Draco knew that the Weasley boy would not stand a chance against Daphne. She was more ruthless than he was and she knew every single curse, spell, and counter-spells in the books from first-year to third. Ron Weasley looked as though he could not even charm a simple rat into a goblet. Draco snorted with amusement. The red head was so for it.

They took their positions in front of the class, facing each other, wands at the ready. At the signal, Daphne fired the first spell. "_Rictumsempra!_"

The spell hit Ron right in the chest and he begun to laugh uncontrollably. Daphne smirked at the laughing boy and James hurried forward to perform a counter-spell to the Tickling Charm. Reluctantly, he declared Daphne the winner but did not give any points or such.

He then called out, "Crabbe and Seamus!"

Draco moaned internally when his friend stumbled forward to face the sandy-haired Irish boy. This time, the Gryffindors win since Crabbe was too slow to block the simple Leg-locking Curse (_Locomotor Mortis!_) and Seamus was declared the winner. James grinned proudly at the Gryffindors and awarded them ten points for their excellent win. Draco scowled at the unfairness of this lesson. Daphne should have received the points she deserved as well.

"I have a preposition!" Avery called out suddenly. "Anyone who can beat me will be given thirty points to their house! How's that?"

James grinned at his son and said, "Fine! Anyone from Slytherin wish to fight Avery?"

Draco nearly stood up but a slim hand grabbed onto his wrist and pulled him down. He glowered at Harry who was holding him back but was silenced when the latter said quietly, "I want to fight him."

With that, he stood up and said, "I accept the challenge."

The Slytherins and Gryffindors became silent at that. Avery's mocking face fell slightly but he still looked confident. James indicated for the both of them to move forward and growled at Harry, "No funny business, understand? None of your elemental magic is allowed either."

When Harry gave him a sharp nod, James told them to remove their wands. Avery pulled out his wand but Harry left his in his robes. The professor counted down. "One, Two…"

Before he could say 'three', Avery brandished his wand and yelled, "_Stupefy!_"

A jet of red light flew straight to Harry but the Slytherin did not look the least afraid. When the red light was close to him, he then pulled out his wand and swished it in front of him, blocking the red light effortlessly. Avery went red at that and yelled out a jinx, "_Flipendo!_"

Again, Harry blocked it without a word. The Slytherin looked almost bored as he waited for the slowly reddening Avery to cast another mediocre spell. "_Petrificus Totalus!_" he yelled.

Instead of blocking the spell as usual, Harry side-stepped it easily and yawned. He really looked bored, almost ready to sleep. Avery, in his heat, screamed, "Fight me, you Dark Wizard! Or are you to weak and don't even know a single spell?"

"If I cast even the simplest spell, you would be dead." Harry's voice held traces of amusement and somewhat, a dark threat laced in between the words.

"_Confringo!_" Avery was done playing and he wanted his opponent to be badly injured.

With a simple swish of his wand, Harry created a shield in front of him. When the spell hit the shield, an explosion occurred, covering the entire room with smoke. The entire class went coughing and their eyes stung from the smoke. They could not see anything and each of the houses were afraid for their representatives. Neither trusted each other and it was almost certain that Avery and Harry would take the advantage of the smoke to conduct a full-blown duel which could harm either of them.

And a duel did happen. Avery yells of every single curse, jinx, spell that he heard off was loud and clear to everyone in the room but they did not hear a single utter of sound from the other dueller. It was as though he was just blocking everything wordlessly as usual.

Then silence. Avery was no longer shouting anything and Harry was still as silent as before. The remaining students tried to look through the thinning smoke and to their surprise, the duel had ended with one winner.

Avery lay on the floor, obviously stunned by his opponent. Harry looked as calm and composed as usual, as though he was just standing there instead of being in a fight. James, who was coughing beneath a table, stood up and when he saw his son stunned, his mouth dropped open. His eyes roamed from his son to the one who had stunned his son. But he did not know that his son was not completely harmed. His mouth closed and his haw set in a hard line, strode over to Harry who looked up at him calmly.

A gasp ran through the class when James swung his fist to Harry's nose and the student fell back, clutching his face. He landed on the floor and blood was dripping from an obviously broken nose. He did nothing to stench the bleeding but instead, looked up at James from in between his fingers, his green eyes flashing with hate.

James stared at those eyes unbelievingly. He felt faint as he vaguely remembered a pair of green eyes looking at him in exactly the same way. James felt a rush of anger pass through him and he raised his foot, blinded by the red haze appearing in front of his eyes where the painfully familiar eyes looked at him with fire. Hearing none of his students shouts for him to stop, he kicked the boy in front of him, feeling satisfied when he felt his foot connecting with the smaller body. He brought back his foot and got ready to kick again, this time bringing his foot further back to gain more momentum so that he would hit the child harder than before.

But before he could do anything, he felt his entire body freeze. He felt a stilling of his body, making him feel cold inside. His body did not longer feel alive any longer. It felt like it was made of stone, completely unmovable and no matter what he tried to do, his thoughts and will could not move his limbs. His mind was screaming for his body to move but none of his limbs were working for him. And the scary part was that he felt as though his body no longer belonged to him. It was as though his mind was stuck in a statue.

Then, he saw Harry standing up slowly, blood still dripping down his nose and his head where another open wound appeared there thanks to James powerful kick to his head. Green eyes flashing with hate, the child hissed, "You made a very big mistake today James Potter…"

James watched with horror as the wounds begun to close themselves and the blood disappearing from the child's robes. The green eyes were still focused on James but all around him, the blood spilled was vanishing before their eyes.

"I am the Lord of the Blood," Harry continued, his voice still as dangerous and threatening as before. "I control the very life in your body. I could kill you with so much as a thought."

That sent a chill of fear and realisation through James body. His body was being held hostage by the child! He screamed in his mind again, screaming for someone to help him and hurt the way too powerful kid in front of him who had dared to harm his son and control his body. But no one heard his screams as his lips were sealed and all he could do was to do it in his mind.

Harry then continued, "You will pay for that James Potter. You will pay for everything that you had done."

James felt a rush of life entering his body again and he dropped to the floor, still shocked at the current events. His eyes never left the boy lord whose green eyes had glazed over and regained its first hard, emotionless look. He did not move when Harry turned to leave the class and he could not say anything when the rest of the class followed at a distance, scared of both him and Harry.

All he could think about was the fury behind the child's eyes and the nagging voice in his head that made him feel that he had seen those eyes before. But he could not fully remember. All he recalled was the feeling of hate when he tried to search his memory for those green eyes. It was as though he had seen those eyes before but a very long time ago. But when?

Then a feeling of hopelessness passed over him when he realised the consequence of his actions. He had attacked a lord and even when he was a student, James knew that he could not attack him and get away with it. Not to mention that he was the Lord of the Blood, the one that the Wizegamot feared most among the Aeternitas brothers, except for Tertius, Lord of the Flame. James knew he was in for it. And as he thought about the incoming loss of popularity that he would receive, another surge of hate filled him, refuelling anger at the boy for having those eyes that just made James furious whenever he thought about it. He was cursing the child, cursing the day he was ever born. He never felt such hate for anybody before and an eleven year old boy was the first to receive it.

James vowed that he would get back to the so called Lord Septimus one day. That was a promise that he was going to keep.

* * *

**Phew! I was about to give up half-way through this chapter since I was too tired to continue. Thank god for cups of Milo and sleep disorders!**

**So please review! It keeps me going! **


	7. Chapter 7 Expect the Unexpected

**CHAPTER 7- Expect the Unexpected**

**Thanks for the excellent reviews, alerts and favourites everybody! Really makes me happy to read them all from my email, even if its a story alert notice!  
I realised some of you are pretty peeved with James and I TOTALLY agree with your feelings. I personally don't like him and I think he is too big-headed and reckless to actually do any calm thinking and think things out.**

**So this is the next chapter. Hope you like it! **

* * *

_JAMES POTTER FIRED_

_Yesterday, James Potter, the father of Avery Evan Potter, the Boy who Lived, was fired from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, reports _Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. _James Potter, 31, was the Defense against the Dark Arts Professor in Hogwarts and has been teaching for three years. However, his violent actions against one of his students, Lord Septimus of the Blood, seventh brother of the long-standing Aeternitas family and a holder of a seat in the Wizengamot, had caused the Ministry to step in to take actions against Mr. Potter who had, according to inside sources, attacked Lord Septimus who is a first-year student at Hogwarts._

"_Septimus did absolutely nothing! The Professor just jumped on him because his son lost to Septimus in a duel. Avery was not even badly injured," informed Draco Malfoy, another first-year at Hogwarts, and a friend of Lord Septimus._

_Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, had first refused to fire James Potter but when Lord Septimus' brother, Lord Tertius of the Flame, third brother of the Aeternitas family and a holder of a seat in the Wizengamot, brought his younger brother's assault to the Minister's attention, the Headmaster had to fire James Potter from the teaching ranks. Lord Tertius of the Flame, age 14 and a student in Durmstrang Institute, did not comment on James Potter's attack on his brother but had instead stripped Mr. Potter off his seat in the Wizengamot. _

_James Potter and his son, Avery, did not make a public statement on this sudden change of events._

_The Defense against the Dark Arts post has been taken up by Professor Quirinus Quirell, an ex-student of Hogwarts. He had joined the Hogwarts' teaching force from effect of today. _

_For more information about the Aeternitas Family: refer to page 3  
_

* * *

Avery glared at the _Daily Prophet _that lay on the table in front of him. His father had been fired and stripped of his seat in the Wizengamot! He felt mutinous. He could not believe that the Minister would take the words of a 14 year old, so-called Lord of the Flame, over his father, James Potter, who also happened to be the father of himself, the Boy who Lived. His family name was shamed and Avery knew who to blame. Oh yes, he was very angry at the Minister, Cornelius Fudge, for being weak and following the orders of a teenage boy more than half his age. But most of his hatred was reserved for the cause of all these unfortunate events on the Potters. And the cause of it all happened to be seating at the Slytherin table at the very moment.

Looking up from the blasted newspaper, he searched the Slytherin table which was across the Great Hall. He ignored the laughter and jibes from the Slytherins but instead focused on looking for the _Lord _Septimus. When his eyes spotted the messy raven hair of the said boy, Avery glared at the back of his head, as though trying to make Septimus feel his ill intent against him. And to his surprise, said boy turned to look directly at him and Avery felt slightly uncomfortable locking eyes with the green-eyed boy. But he was a Gryffindor- he did not back away from the challenge of who could stare at each other the longest. So he stared into Septimus' eyes, not pulling away.

A few minutes past and Septimus just smirked at him before turning back to his breakfast. This small victory gave Avery some satisfaction, if not much. He wanted to beat Septimus so badly that everyone would realize that messing with him or his father would be the biggest mistake that they would ever do. He wanted to destroy that stuck-up, snotty Slytherin so badly that he would not even show his 'perfect' face in public again.

Avery turned away from the Slytherin table when Ron, his best friend, called his name. He looked at the red head, who looked extremely concerned. "You okay mate?" Ron asked carefully.

"No," Avery replied shortly. "I can't believe that the Minister would take some kid's words over me! I am the Boy who Lived! Fudge is indebted to me- I destroyed You-Know-Who afterall. Yet, he decided to go against my father and I and side the oh-so-powerful Aeternitas family!"

Ron nodded vigorously, showing that he agreed with his friend's angry words. "I think it's a load of bull," he declared. "That Septimus git deserves your father's beating. He played dirty to defeat you in the duel. You could not have been defeated by him! That git is really big-headed, isn't he?"

Avery was about to continue slandering the 'Septimus git' when a voice cut in, "He did nothing. It was a duel and he won fair and square. Your father was over-reacting."

Avery turned to glare at the girl sitting in front of him. He vaguely remembered her name; Hermy or something. "What do you know?" he asked angrily. "For all you know, that snake used his elemental magic on me. That was unfair!"

"But he didn't, did he?" she shot back. "You did not say he used elemental magic. He must have used wand magic and you lost. You should not be complaining about that."

"I am not! I am complaining about why Fudge followed a 14 year old boy's words over mine! I am the Boy who Lived!"

"And you think that your title would help your father get away clean from injuring a student? And that student happened to be a Lord as well. And he is the younger brother of Tertius of the Flame as well! You know that the Lord of the Flame is extremely powerful! Even the Minister could not do anything against him!"

"Who the hell are you anyway?" Avery asked rudely, not wanting to hear her nagging.

She looked affronted that he did not remember her name. "I'm Hermione Granger," she replied sniffily. "I told you my name yesterday."

"Well, _sorry_." But he wasn't. "But you are rather rude to be butting into my conversation with Ron, aren't you? I don't care for your opinion."

"Well, your opinion of everything is biased and it just shows your big-headedness," she shot back furiously. "You are not some kind of god that deserved complete devotion and service from everyone. You are just a boy and a really stuck-up one at that."

"Hey!" Ron protested, "How dare you talk to Avery in that manner? He is…"

"The Boy who Lived?" Hermione snapped, "I know- _everyone _knows. How could we not? I mean, with Avery proudly introducing himself everytime, it is a wonder if anyone do not know he is the Boy who Lived. And being the Boy who Lived don't get you special treatment! Your father assaulted a student, and badly. You did not see the blows that he gave. He deserved his punishment."

"Again, why are you giving us your opinion?" Avery could not take the nonsense from the girl's mouth. "No one asked for it, you know-it-all!"

Hermione stood up from the table, her eyes flashing angrily. "Well," she replied in a broken voice, "I don't want you two to cause any trouble. You will cause Gryffindor points."

Her reason seemed a little lame to both the boy's ears and they sneered at the girl. She reddened considerably under their mocking gazes. She grabbed her bag and with a huff, strode away. They watched her walk away, all too pleased that they had gotten rid of an irritating know-it-all. Avery was extremely peeved with her; she did not know how badly his father's sacking affected him. He too, felt the pain and shame from that accident and he felt that Septimus could have settled it quietly with them and not let it become a full-blown national incident. And it was just a small matter anyway. It was not like his father killed somebody. And since Septimus was able to heal himself and had no lasting injury, so there was no reason for his father to be shamed so greatly. The more Avery thought about how Septimus had to open his big mouth, the more he wanted to walk over to him and punch him in the face.

He stabbed his pancakes angrily, losing his appetite steadily. Beside him, Ron was stuffing himself with everything within reach. Rolling his eyes at his friend, he whipped out his timetable from his satchel and eyed it. He had Transfiguration, Potions and Flying Lessons with the Slytherins. He could not understand why the Headmaster insists on Gryffindors having most of their lessons with the Slytherins. Most of the injuries that happened here was due to the Slytherin and Gryffindor clashes. Yet, the Headmaster held fast to his ways and still placed the lions with the snakes. 'A form of reconciliation' Dumbledore had said.

But even with the dreadful prospect of sitting through three lessons today with the snakes, Avery was able to see the positive aspects of it. He could start his attacks on Septimus today, even within classes. Avery had had lessons for ages, long before he started Hogwarts and he was above average. Septimus was from a different country and had probably never touched a wand before he got his own. Avery had the upper hand for more complex subjects like Transfiguration. Avery smiled secretly, knowing that he would show the snake that he was the snake's better. Stowing his timetable into his bag again, he asked Ron to hurry up, unable to wait for the first lesson: Transfiguration.

* * *

"Welcome to Transfiguration. Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."

Avery sat up as the stern Head of Gryffindor prowled down the aisle, taking note of who was present and who was not. She was sizing them up and she gave him a slight smile when she glanced at him. She had been teaching Transfiguration to him afterall, before he started Hogwarts. He hid a private grin when he thought about how he was going to outshine everyone else, especially the bored-looking Slytherin sitting at the back of the class. He glanced at Septimus, smirking internally when the professor looked over him as though he was nothing special. Not that Septimus cared anyway- he was too busy focusing on ignoring the noisy, blonde boy sitting beside him. Malfoy was trying to chat up to him, probably trying to get him to look the slightest interested in something. But from the look of pure exasperation on Malfoy's face and the tiny, satisfied smirk that flashed on Septimus' face when the blonde sighed and looked away- Avery could guess that Malfoy was failing badly at it.

McGonagall was now teaching the class on how to transfigure a matchstick to a needle. The simplicity of the lesson nearly made Avery snort. She was starting on the very basics and it irked him a little. He had inherited his father's talent in Transfiguration and she had honed his skills rather well. He could perform a basic animal-object transfiguration that was usually reserved for second-years and above. He forced himself not to zone out as she begun instructing on the correct wand motion, pronunciation of the words and the intent in mind. When she finally said that they could try it out, Avery whipped out his wand, ready to show the class how good he was.

And good he was. He produced a 'perfect needle', according to McGonagall, and he was rewarded with ten points to Gryffindor. McGonagall smiled thinly down at him and moved on to give the annoying girl called Hermione another ten points as she too, had produced a perfect needle. Many of the Slytherins scowled at her; unhappy that a Muggleborn but was able to do better than them. They glowered at McGonagall who simply told them that they were not working hard enough. Blatantly ignoring the sullen muttering from the Slytherin, Avery watched McGonagall walk over to the back. He could not wait to see if that Septimus had managed to do the Transfiguration.

"Rather well done Mr. Malfoy," she commented, checking Malfoy's needle. "But its end is rather blunt. Try again."

Malfoy scowled at that and reluctantly raised his wand to try again. Beside him, Septimus looked rather amused at the Slytherins' reactions to McGonagall's comments.

"Well, Mr. Septimus?" she asked, peering at him sharply. "Are you going to try out turning the matchstick to a needle? Or are you just going to sit there doing nothing?"

The Slytherins glared at her and Avery tried to contain his mirth when he saw how horrified and furious the snakes looked when the professor openly chided the so-called Lord in front of everybody. Most of the Gryffindors were now looking on Septimus, sniggering when they saw his still-not-turned matchstick. Septimus was sporting the bored expression again when he pulled out his wand from his robes rather slowly, as though not wanting to try the transfiguration out. Avery held his breath when he watched Septimus raise his wand to conduct the spell.

The young lord waved his wand but no words spilled from his mouth. Everyone thought he was brandishing his wand a little but when McGonagall gave an involuntary gasp, they looked closer on the table and they saw a perfect, pointy needle that blinked in the candle light. McGonagall picked it up and inspected it carefully, as though trying to find any fault with it. Amazement passed through her facial features for the slightest second before she maintained her stern-looking demeanor.

"An impressive show of non-verbal transfiguration Mr. Septimus," she complimented, her voice slow and careful. "And a perfect needle. Twnety points to Slytherin."

She then graced said boy with a rare, small smile that Avery thought would only be shown to him and the Hermione girl.

Avery was now fuming. He could not believe the nerve of that boy! First, he had complained about his father and thanks to him, his father was dismissed as though he was some lowly creature. Not only that- the Potters' seat in the Wizengamot had been stripped off. Now, he deliberately showed off to the class, shoving into Avery's face that he was better than the latter. Avery was never more angered and humiliated in his life- his father was treated as though he had done a misconduct and then, the one behind all of the problems befallen on the Potters had to shame him by proving that he was much better than Avery.

He glared at Septimus, earning a raised brow in return. Avery was steadily going red; his hands twitched near his wand, ready to pull it out the moment Septimus made a wrong move. The raven-haired boy just glanced at the hand before turning away to listen to Malfoy complimenting him on his excellent transfiguration. Avery scowled, hearing the sappy choice of words that the blonde was using. Malfoy was praising Septimus too highly and Avery was sure that the praise would just get on Septimus' already-huge ego.

He gave another death look at Septimus, who either did not notice or was ignoring him easily. Neither choice was making Avery feel any better, that was for certain. He turned to the front of the class, giving a sharp reply to Ron who asked worriedly if he was alright. He stared ahead, fixing his eyes on McGonagall who was now going through some basic Transfiguration theory written on the blackboard. He kept his attention only on the teaching, ignoring everything around him as he tried to calm the slowly rising raging anger within him. Never had he been so maddened before. His father was shamed beyond measure and now, Septimus was doing the same thing to him by showing that he was better than the Boy who Lived. It was unacceptable in Avery's eyes.

_I swear that he will pay for shaming my family and me, _he swore silently. _He will pay and I don't care if he is best friends with the bloody Minister. He is not getting away with shaming me or my dad._

* * *

"Ten points from Gryffindor for being late, Potter and Weasley."

Avery glared at the Potions Professor, Severus Snape, who was standing at the front of the class giving him a very nasty look. The other Gryffindors followed Avery in shooting hateful looks at the bat of a man. Avery narrowed his eyes at the teacher and gestured at Ron to follow him to two empty tables at the Gryffindor side of the classroom. The Slytherins were all there, sitting at their side. Most of them were snickering at the blatant dislike that Snape was showing for the two late red-headed boys. Avery glanced at Septimus, expecting the same superior, mocking look that was on every other Slytherin's face. But instead, he saw the young lord giving Snape the same look he had given Avery in Transfiguration lesson. An eyebrow raised and his face emotionless- it was like Septimus was questioning the reason to why Snape hated Avery and Ron so much.

Snape was already talking but in such a quiet and low voice that everyone had to lean forward to catch what he was saying. Avery looked from Septimus to Snape and strained his ears to listen to the professor:

_"__I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses...I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory and even put a stopper in death- if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."_

Avery nearly snorted at that. He was pretty sure that Snape used the same speech for every single first-years' first Potion's lesson. The way that he was talking about Potions seemed like a fervent, rehearsed speech on how wonderful the subject is and how important and beneficial it was to do well in his class. For the Gryffindors, doing well would mean fewer points being deducted during the two hours they had to spend with the Head of the Slytherin house. They would never receive any points from this man. It was a tradition with Snape. For the Slytherins, doing well would mean praise and points for their house. Potions lesson was the very meaning of the divide between the Slytherin and Gryffindors houses. There was no way to get around it. Especially if the Slytherins' head of house was deducting points for little, minor mistakes created by the Gryffindors every chance he got.

"Potter!" Snape called his name sharply, jolting him from his thoughts. "What will I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Avery stared blankly at the sneering teacher. He was rudely interrupted from his thoughts and now the teacher was asking him questions even before he had taught them anything! In front of him, Hermione had her hand high up in the sky, waving it madly so that Snape would notice her. He ignored it and instead focused on Avery, his black eyes glinting expectantly.

"Um…" Avery started, a little uncomfortable from all the expectant gazes from the Gryffindors and the mocking looks from the Slytherins. "I don't know."

Snape smirked and he tutted loudly, much to the amusement of the snakes. Avery felt his cheeks burn slightly and shot the Slytherins an angry look which just increased their sniggers. Again, Septimus looked plain bored.

"What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?" Snape was asking again.

"I don't know." Avery was getting tired off Snape's questions. He knew that the Potions Master had something against the Potters- his father had pranked Snape back in their Hogwarts days and apparently, Snape never forgave him and made it his life mission to make any Potter's life miserable. Avery bit his cheek, holding back a nasty retort as he endured more of the Slytherins laughing softly at him.

"Hm... Tell me Potter." Snape was obviously not letting it go. "Where would you look if I ask you to find me a bezoar?"

Avery gritted his teeth before replying, "I don't know."

Snape tutted again and some of the Slytherins were already howling with laughter. Hermione shot him a look that made him feel inferior. So what if he did not know some potion knowledge? He was here to learn it anyway and so far, Snape did not teach them anything. Avery felt his ears heating up slightly when one of the Slytherins made a mocking remark about him. Snape effectively ignored it and said silkily, "Apparently, fame isn't everything, is it Potter?"

"Mr. Septimus," Snape called out this time. "Can you answer the questions?"

Avery turned to see Septimus still looking as bored as usual. Septimus closed his eyes for a while as though he was restraining from sighing in exasperation. Then he opened his eyes and answered in a bored tone, "Adding a powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood would create the Draught of Living Death, a strong sleeping potion. There is no difference between monkshood and wolfsbane- they are the same plant, only differing in name. Bezoars are stones found from the stomachs of goats."

"Ten points to Slytherin for the ability of reading a book," Snape sneered at Avery. Avery glowered at him before directing his hateful look at the one who answered the questions correctly, snubbing him at the same time. Again, Septimus looked bored. He did not notice the glare that Avery was directing at him.

The rest of the lesson passed uneventfully. Snape ordered them to create a simple Cure for Boils potion and everyone complied hurriedly, not wanting to anger the scary bat. Avery tried his best to create the potion but it lacked the colour that it was supposed to have. It was more orange than red, much less pink. When Snape stalked over to check his potion, he sneered and deducted points again from Gryffindor for lack of 'talent'. Every single lion scowled at him, still angry at his unfairness. Snape gave ten points to Malfoy eventhough his potion looked a little bit more red than Avery's. He then gave Slytherin another ten points for Septimus' '_perfect_' style of crushing his horned slugs. The Gryffindors had to resign themselves to the fact that they were going to be ostracised throughout the whole lesson. They gritted their teeth and hoped that Snape would not take any more points from them. It was not like he was giving them. He walked passed Hermione's potion that looked the exact shade of pink required, ignoring her and her potion completely.

It was not long though, before Snape deducted points again. Neville Longbottom, a Gryffindor that Avery thought was rather nice but a little too cowardly, had managed to melt his partner's, Seamus, cauldron into a sickly grey blob on the stone floor. Their potion seeped through Neville's shoes as he was too slow to jump on his chair like the others. The howling boy was now erupting in boils all over his body. Snape swooped over, brandishing his wand to get rid of the rest of the obviously-wrongly-made potion that had spread all over the dungeon floor. He glared at Neville with complete hatred as though he had never seen such a despicable boy before.

"Stupid boy!" the Potions Master roared at the frightened boy. "I bet you added the porcupine quills before you turned off the fire, didn't you?"

Neville did not answer of course. He was too busy crying from the pain of the boils or Snape' furious look, no one really knew. Snape looked around and glared at everyone, even at the Slytherins who were smirking at the Gryffindor's poor state.

"Mr. Septimus!" Snape called out and everyone's eyes shifted to said boy. "I suppose you can help this blasted boy from his well-deserved boils."

Avery watched Septimus nod slowly before making his way gracefully to Neville. Snape stepped aside to allow the boy to do what he wanted. Avery narrowed his eyes at Septimus, a little eager to see a show of prowess while being a little annoyed that Snape had called out to him as though he could save everyone from anything. He watched carefully, straining his ears to hear what Septimus was muttering to Neville.

"… I am going to get rid of the boils and I need to hold your hands for that," he was saying to the distraught boy. "It is going to hurt a little but not much."

Neville allowed Septimus to take his boil-filled hands and the latter closed his eyes in concentration. A few seconds passed and the class watched in awe as the boils begun to shrink back into Neville's skin, gradually growing smaller until they could no longer be seen. Then there was a slight 'pop' sound and a yelp from Neville that signalled that the tiny boils had been disposed off completely. Septimus released his hands and looked him over before turning away to return to his old seat.

Everyone was silenced by the healing of Neville and the way that Septimus did it without a wand or a word of magic. It was just them holding hands and that was it. No one felt any sign of magic escaping from Septimus. It was like as if he was controlling the boils without magic, telling them to disappear on its own. The Slytherins had schooled their facial expressions of wonder to plain pride for their housemate while the Gryffindors just looked shocked, amazed as well as a little envious. Even Avery had to admit, Septimus was kind of powerful with his elemental magic. And he was feeling a little thankful that Septimus cured Neville easily and did it without hurting him too much. It was better than going to the Hospital Wing where everyone looks at you pityingly. And Neville would not have wanted to miss the flying lessons after Potions.

Snape looked slightly amazed albeit proud of his snake. "Well done Mr. Septimus! Ten points to Slytherin for helping a classmate."

The lesson continued again with more snide remarks from Snape and more points deducted from Gryffindor and even more points awarded to Slytherin. After they ladled a sample of their potion into a flask and left it on the teacher's desk, the students hurriedly escaped from the dungeons to proceed to lunch. Avery knew that no one truly wanted to eat lunch- they all wanted their flying lessons. Avery himself could not wait to rise up into the sky and fly around.

"Hey Septimus." He heard Malfoy talking to Septimus behind him. "You excited for the flying lessons?"

"Yeah," Septimus answered. "I only flew a broom once though. My brothers are not really big on Quidditch."

"What?" Malfoy replied unbelievingly. "Your brothers don't like flying? Do you like it?"

"Most of my brothers prefer keeping their feet on the ground. Sextus likes floating around on air though. He is the Lord of the Wind after all. And I do like flying. I just never really rode a broom before. I followed Sextus flying without brooms before." The boy explained plainly.

In front of them, Avery broke out into a tiny grin. He was going to show Septimus who was better now. He had been flying on brooms for ages, ever since he could remember. Flying on a broom takes skill- it was not something everyone could do. And since this was the first time they were having flying lessons and if it was only the second time that Septimus had ridden a broom, he was bound to have some difficulties.

And this time, Avery swore that he would show the Slytherin who was better. Even if it was in one small aspect, Avery wanted to be better than him in something. And it would be flying.

* * *

"Alright then!" shouted Madam Hooch. "Put your hand over the broom and shout 'up'!"

The students were all standing beside the wretched-looking brooms lying on the ground of the Quidditch pitch. Avery looked at the broom at his feet in distaste. He had never seen such a sorry-looking excuse of a broom before. Even he had to agree with Malfoy's loud complaints of the brooms and wished he brought his own broom to Hogwarts. His broom was a Cleansweep Ten- a decent broom, not the best but at least it did not have any splinters and the twigs at the end looked neater than the broom that the school was providing. It did not even have a brand! It looked as though the professors just bought the cheapest sweeping brooms from the markets and enchanted it to make it fly.

Avery sighed and placed his hand above the broom at chest-level. He then shouted "UP!" and then broom immediately jumped to his hand. He grabbed it the moment it made contact with his hand and looked up proudly to see who else managed to get the broom up from the ground on their first try. To his displeasure, Malfoy and the Italian-looking Slytherin (Zabini, if he remembered correctly) had their brooms in their hands and were shooting everyone else who did not superior looks. And in between them, Septimus had the broom in his hand as well but this was the first time that Avery saw him smiling slightly as he clutched the broom. Avery thought the only facial expression that Slytherins had were mocking looks, sneers, smirks and looks of boredom that Septimus usually used. But now, the Slytherin looked rather please to be holding the broom.

Beside Avery, Ron was having some trouble with the broom. After calling the broom to jump into his hand the second time, the broom flung itself up, whacking the red-head right in the middle of his face. Ron staggered backwards, his hands clutching his face while the broom fell back onto the floor. Most of the Slytherins and some of the Gryffindors were laughing at him while Ron tried to keep his face from going red with embarrassment and anger. But he failed. He was getting steadily redder and he picked up the broom from the ground, cursing at it.

"Hey Weasley!" Malfoy called out from the Slytherin side. "Don't get too excited to have a broom in your hands! Everyone here knows that your family could not afford a broom! Maybe a twig, but not a broom like this one!"

The Slytherins roared in laughter at that. Well, most of them. Avery spied that Septimus was not laughing at all. Instead, he shot Malfoy a disgusted look that was not noticed by the blonde. Ron's ears were now turning red and that was a bad sign. Avery tried to console his friend but Ron did not listen to him at all. He just held onto the broom so tightly that Avery was surprised that it did not break in his hold. He turned to look at Madam Hooch who did not notice the insulting remark that Malfoy made as she was helping Neville with his broom.

The laughter died out soon enough but the sniggers and smirks still remained. When everyone finally got their brooms in their hands, Madam Hooch cried out, "Mount your brooms!"

She then went around, correcting their holds on the brooms. Avery was pleased to see that Malfoy had his hold on his broom wrong and when he tried to explain that the way he held the broom was the way he had done it for years, Madam Hooch scolded him and told him that he had been doing it wrong for ages. However, she passed Septimus with a smile, saying that he was holding onto it right. Septimus graced her with a tiny smile himself. When Hooch came over to Avery, she just took a glance before moving on. Avery raised his chin, his eyes glinting in pride and he shot a mocking look at Malfoy who scowled at him.

"Now!" Hooch was shouting again. "When I count to three, you will push off from the ground with both your feet and hover in the air for a few moments before coming down!"

"On my whistle! One! Two…"

But she never managed to count to three for Neville was already in the air, the unmistakable mask of terror upon his face. Hooch was shouting for him to come down while Neville was just stuttering that he could not. The Slytherins were now howling with laughter and Avery glared at them for making fun of his friend that was now stuck in the air with a broom that could pitch him over anytime.

Avery was about to push himself from the ground to save his friend when Neville fell from the broom and landed face-first on the ground. The broom fell a few metres away from him. Hooch hurried over to the moaning boy and muttered about a broken wrist and the need of the Hospital Wing. She helped him up and glared at the students. "No one gets up in the air! I am taking Mr. Longbottom to the Hospital Wing! If any of your feet leave the ground, I will make sure you will get expelled!" she warned before leading Neville out from the Quidditch field and back into the castle.

Avery sent a pitying look at Neville's back and sighed. He had wanted to fly so badly but now he had to wait for the teacher to come back. He shuffled his feet and looked around, trying to find something fun to do when he heard Malfoy shouting, "Look what Longbottom dropped on the ground!"

Avery's eyes snapped over to Malfoy who was striding towards the place where Neville fell. The blonde bent over to pick up a shiny looking glass ball from the grass and held it up for everyone to see. Avery took a look at it and realised that it was Neville's Rememberall that his grandmother had sent him earlier in the morning. He felt heat rising up his neck when Malfoy made a nasty remark about Neville's slowness.

Avery stepped forward, his anger slowly rising. "Give it back Malfoy." Avery hoped that his voice was low and threatening enough to scare the smirking Slytherin to giving him Neville's precious belonging. He knew that his grandmother would raise hell if Neville lost it _again_.

Malfoy laughed mockingly, leading some of the other snakes in their loud laughter. "No, I won't," he replied, smirking even more. "You'll have to get it from me."

Avery was about to pull his wand to hex the life out of Malfoy when the latter jumped onto his broom and sneered at him. "Come and get it from me Potter," he mocked as he flew from the ground.

Avery gnashed his teeth and jumped onto his broom, ignoring the protests from Hermione who was shouting about getting himself into trouble and tarnishing the house's name. He pushed himself off the ground and glanced back to see Ron following him into the air. He led him higher until they were on the same level with Malfoy. The blonde was now looking extremely nasty and was scowling. He obviously did not think that Avery was brave enough to follow him up in the air. He glanced at the two red-heads, trying to figure out a way to save himself from two really angry Gryffindors.

"Give it back Malfoy or I'll knock you off your broom!" threatened Avery, really wanting to do it soon.

"You are going to pay for insulting my family Malfoy!" Ron shouted and he leaned forward, flying forward towards Malfoy who looked shocked.

Ron collided against Malfoy and they both jolted in the air, shouting in shock and terror. Avery heard cries and scream of fright below him and his own heart was thumping fast when he saw Malfoy nearly losing his grip on the broom while Ron was straightening himself on the broom. He quickly flew towards them to stop both of them from fighting in mid-air but when Malfoy retaliated with a punch to Ron's head, he saw red and roared at Malfoy to stop. When he reached them, he tried to push them apart but Malfoy or Ron was willing to give up the fight. Avery was about to yell at Malfoy when the blonde boy smacked him hard around the head and sent him spinning in the air, hitting Ron in the process. Avery's head was hurting badly and all he could think of was about the nerve of Malfoy for hitting him. Snarling, he quickly returned to them to involve himself in the fight but that was before he saw Draco throwing the Rememberall over his head.

Avery growled under his breath and flew towards the Rememberall which was flying away from him, past Ron and Malfoy. He pushed his broom forward, urging it to go faster so he could catch the Rememberall. But when he passed the fighting duo, he felt Ron slamming into his side and before he could tighten his hold on the broom, he felt himself tipping over and dropping from the broom. All he saw was Ron's shocked face and all he heard was the screams from the girls below. He was unable to do anything- he was shocked. He was falling faster and faster.

Then, everything stopped. The screams halted and Malfoy and Ron's terrified faces above him changed to confused expressions. Avery did not feel himself hitting the ground and he certainly did not feel any sort of pain that should have come. Instead, he felt a little peculiar. He felt as though he was floating but that was impossible. If a teacher had come to save him, he would have heard the teacher's screams and threats of detentions already. But all he heard was silence and that was unnerving. It was like as though time had stopped.

That was when he saw Septimus from the corner of his eye. Septimus was on his broom but he was really far away, near the ground. In his hand, Avery saw the shining glass ball that could only be Neville's Rememberall. Septimus had caught it. But that was not the thing that was confusing Avery. It was the hand that Septimus had outstretched in front of him and the palm of that hand was facing him directly. Septimus' face was the very image of anger and concentration all together and he was glaring at Ron and Malfoy. Both of them were looking incredibly pasty as they lowered themselves to the ground. When they passed Avery, it was then when he realised that he was stuck in mid-air, with nothing beneath him to hold him up in the air. All he felt was a slight pressure against his back. It was like somebody casted the Levitating Charm on him but stilled him in the air. It was creepy as he could not see anyone with their wands out. They were all switching glances from him to Septimus and that was when it struck him. Septimus was using elemental magic again! And it was to save him from a bloody fall.

Avery felt himself being lowered to the ground, almost gently. He kept his eyes on Septimus whose hand was still up and was also slowly lowering back to his side. When Avery was a few feet from the ground, the pressure beneath him vanished and he dropped onto the ground. The Gryffindors were rushing towards him to see if he was alright and to their relief, he was. Avery stood up, checking himself over but found no sign of bruising or wound. His side was a little sore from Ron bumping into him so hard but other than that, he felt perfectly fine.

"Fifty points from Gryffindor and Slytherin for endangering the life of another student!"

Everyone spun around to see McGonagall rushing towards them, her face more pale than a ghost. She was shaking visibly from head to toe and she pushed her way through the throng of Gryffindors surrounding Avery to check him. She looked him from head to toe and looked relieved that he was not hurt in any way. But the look of relief did not last long enough. In an instant, a look of completely fury replaced it and she was shouting her voice hoarse. "HOW DARE YOU POTTER, WEASLEY AND MALFOY? YOU COULD HAVE KILLED ONE ANOTHER, FIGHTING SO HIGH UP IN THE AIR!"

McGonagall was shaking in fury and her face was getting red. Avery looked on the ground, not wanting to anger his head of house any further. No one dared to speak up. Even the Slytherins were silent as they kept their heads slightly down, sullen looks on every single one of their faces.

McGonagall then said in a deadly voice, "Detention with me for a month Malfoy, Potter and Weasley! I do not expect this sort of behaviour from Hogwarts' students!"

She then turned to look at Septimus who had landed behind her quietly. His face was calm and he was silently dropping his broom on the ground. McGonagall took a look at him and said peevishly, "You, Mr. Septimus- I will let Professor Snape decide on your punishment. You did not involve yourself in the fight and you saved Mr. Potter here from a bad fall but you did break the rules about not flying without the supervision of a teacher!"

Septimus said nothing. He just nodded. McGonagall continued, "Let us find Professor Snape now. Follow me. You too Malfoy! He is your head of house and I will make sure he knows of your behaviour!"

She then pushed her way past the rest of the students and was stalking away without a backward glance to them. Malfoy was already walking slowly from the students but waited for Septimus to join him. Avery looked up and saw Septimus right in front of him, his hand outstretched again. Avery could not tear away from the green eyes that stared right into his very brown ones. He felt as though he had seen those eyes before and a rush of emotions overcame him. He felt a surge of love and that shook him even more. Why were the snake's eyes making him feel as though he was being loved? He had never seen those eyes before! But something was pulling at his mind at the back of his head and all he could see was a very vague memory of a pair of similar looking eyes from his past. But that was it. He could not see or remember anything else.

Septimus glanced to his hand before looking up at Avery again. Avery took a look at the hand and realised it was Neville's Rememberall. He glanced at Septimus' face and all he saw was expectation. He raised his own hand hesitantly and took the ball from the Slytherin who nodded once at him before turning around. His black robes billowing around him, he hurriedly joined Malfoy and both of them rushed off to join McGonagall.

Avery watched the two Slytherins walk away. He still could not believe what had happened. Septimus, a slimy Slytherin, had saved him from a fall that would have surely broken most of his bones since he was dropping from a great height. Avery could not understand why. He was pretty sure that Septimus knew of his immense dislike for him. Yet, that did not stop the Slytherin to save him from the fall. Avery had no idea what to make of it. He thought that Septimus had something against him and his father, it was clear from the way he shamed them greatly. But he still saved him from falling. As much as Avery would like to deny it, Septimus had saved him.

Avery was still staring at the place where the two snakes disappeared around the corner. All he could think of was how Septimus helped Neville with his boils, saved the Rememberall and stopped him in mid-air. He recalled all the stories his father had told him about slimy Slytherins and their love for hurting people. But Septimus did not fit the stories at all.

Avery knew there was something that Septimus was hiding and he wondered- was it something to do with the Potters? And why was it that those green eyes reminded him so strongly of someone he had seen in the past? Eventhough he could not remember the details completely, he knew that he had seen someone with those eyes back when he was a child. But he just could not place a name to a face.

_Who are you?_ Avery thought, knowing deep within his heart that he was not going to find the answer any time soon.

* * *

**I am not going to make Harry a cold-blooded killer any time soon. I don't like bad people who are so evil that all they care for is killing.**

So please REVIEW after READING! 


	8. Chapter 8 Conflicting Emotions

**CHAPTER 8- Conflicting Emotions**

**Thank you for the reviews, favourites and alerts people! I am very glad to see that I am receiving many positive comments! Thanks again!**

* * *

It was midnight. At this witching hour, most of the people in the world would be asleep. Most students in Hogwarts were asleep, dreaming peacefully. Most of the teachers were asleep as well- all with the exception of Professor Snape who was doing some late-night brewing and Argus Filch, the caretaker, who prowled the corridors in search of rebellious students. But he did not find anyone as every student was asleep. Well, all except one.

Lord Septimus of the Blood lay on his comfortable bed, pondering over the events that happened earlier in that day. He recalled how the Boy who Lived, Avery Potter, glared at him angrily every few minutes and how he felt amused by the Gryffindor's tries to outshine him in the lessons they had together. He remembered jumping on his broom and chasing after the Rememberall. He remembered how he had turned around and saw Avery being thrown off his broom by his rambunctious friend and Draco. He remembered watching Avery fall from the broom, his face a picture of shock and terror. He remembered how he had raised his hand and used his elemental magic to still the air beneath Avery, stopping him from the fall, hovering him in mid-air. He recalled everything. But the only thing he could not remember was why he had saved the Gryffindor.

Septimus was not always the Lord of the Blood, the seventh brother of the Aeternitas brothers and the youngest holder of a seat in the Wizengamot. Sure, he had spent more than half his life as this powerful and terrifying figure but before that, he was somebody else. He was Harrison Potter and he was not famous or powerful. He was a nobody, someone that his father used to vent anger on.

So, this nobody decided to run away from his family home, the Potter Mansion, and make his own way in the world. To create a name for himself, not to be known as the younger twin of Avery Potter. All he wanted was to be seen as his own person, without being in relation to anyone else, much less his famous brother and father.

He did flee from home and to the confusion of many; he disappeared off the face of the world. Not hair or hide of him was seen in wizarding Britain where his father had reluctantly informed of his wayward son's disappearance. Everyone in Britain kept an eye out for the younger Potter twin, in hope that they could receive some favour from the Potters by returning the runaway Harrison Potter. But, no one saw the boy.

By now, most believe that he was dead, starved to death as he was just but a boy with no true experience in the world. Some believed he had been adopted by a dark family who decided to turn him into a dark wizard who would rise against his own brother. Some did not care.

Harrison Potter, or Septimus, as he was now called, snorted softly, causing his two dorm mates to roll over in their sleep, snoring a little. Septimus was not dead and he certainly was not adopted by a dark family.

Instead, he had it better.

* * *

_Harry looked around the Castle of Elementia, or more affectionately called as Seven Towers, in wonder. He had been in several castles before but he had never seen one of such grandeur as this one. The entrance hall was already bigger than the Potter Mansion and he was positive that the rest of the castle would be even larger and spectacular. _

_He looked up at his saviours, the ones who had called themselves as the Rulers of Elementia. They were in their mid-twenties while the leader was nearer to the thirties range. They were being waited on by some other people. The servants were helping them off their cloaks and boots while the rulers were waiting patiently for their servants to finish their job. Once they were done, they dismissed the servants and waited till they were gone before turning to Harry._

_"My child," the one who introduced himself as the Lord of the Star said, "Welcome to your new home. This is where you shall stay and reign as the heir to the Throne of Life."_

_Harry was confused. He did not understand anything the men had said from the moment he had been saved by them. He had been walking through Muggle London, hoping to get to the Leaky Cauldron as soon as possible. The night was colder than it should be and it was not even winter yet. As he was walking, he was ambushed by a group of street kids who had seen his backpack which was made of authentic leather. They were beating him and trying to take his bag, which he did not let go off. The bag contained everything he had and he was not letting it go. He did not do any magic- he was afraid that it might alert the magical and Muggle authorities and that was one thing he did not want. So, he just endured and wished that the street kids would leave him alone._

_Then, a group of seven men appeared and a flash of light enveloped them, blinding them. Harry watched as one of them waved his hand and the street kids stopped in mid-battle as though they had turned to statues. Then, another one of them walked over and pulled out a wand before waving to the street kids, saying, "Imperio." Harry perked up at that- he knew that that spell was an Unforgiveable and that made him afraid of the men. He tried to move away but a glance from one of the men stilled him. _

_The one who casted the Unforgiveable said, "You will all walk out of here as though nothing happened. You did not see us and you did not remember anything."_

_With that, the street kids walked off, walking past them and chatting away as though the magical people were not even there. Harry watched them, fascinated. He was wondering if he could do that when one of them asked him, "You alright kid?"_

_Harry nodded and he winced when he realised he was wounded all over again. He stood shakily and he inspected himself. Finding out that he needed immediate healing, he pulled out his magic from within just when the man, who stilled the street kids with a wave of a hand, said, "Let me heal you boy."_

_But he was too late to heal Harry as the boy was already healing himself. The men watched in awe as the wounds closed themselves and the blood disappeared from the clothes. When Harry was finished, the one who offered to heal him said, "We were right brothers. A Blood bender is here. No one could just heal himself wandlessly and wordlessly."_

_Harry looked up at them, confused. What was a blood bender? Seeing his confused look, the men launched into an explanation about Elementia and the elements and those who control them were called elementalists or benders. They introduced themselves as the rulers of Elementia and the only seven among the rest who could control all the elements. They said that they were tracing a magic trace of someone who could control the element of Blood and they were brought to London and to him, Harry. They explained that they were looking for him as he needed to be trained in the use of this dangerous element. While the rest of the elements could be dangerous as well, Blood was the most lethal. Harry was to follow them and he was to learn. In return for following them, he would be given a home and friends as well as a family. They do not care of his heritage and roots; he was an elementalist and that was enough._

_Harry was stupefied beyond measure but he reasoned that he should follow them since he was only a boy and had no place in the wizarding world now. And the men did not seem to want to harm him. Gathering his courage, he allowed them to take him to Elementia. One of them took his hand and they apparated away to the castle._

_Now, the Lord of the Star said he was an heir to the Throne of Life. Nobody said anything about that. _

_"Sorry… What do you mean by 'heir'?" Harry asked. "And what do you mean by the 'Throne of Life'?"_

_"There are a handful of female Blood benders but they could not take be my heir. You are the only other male Blood bender here in Elementia apart from the seven of us and the rest of the heirs," the Lord of Blood explained. "However, the heirs do not have Blood as their key or birth element. They could control it but they could not take the Throne of Life, which is the throne given to the Lord of the Blood. The Lord of the Star has the Throne of Light. The Lord of the Shadows has the Throne of Darkness. The Lord of the Wind has the Throne of Breath while the Lord of the Earth has the Throne of Creation. Finally, the Lord of the Flame has the Throne of Spirit and the Lord of the Sea has the Throne of Soul. The thrones are the seat of power for each element and they represent the meaning of life. Each heir will take over his respective throne when we step down. You are the only one who could take it since your key element is Blood."_

_"So, I'm your heir?" Harry asked the man who looked more like a vampire than a man._

_The Blood Lord nodded and said, "You would be a fine heir. Afterall, Blood benders are rare and the ones birthed with it as their key element are powerful. I shall teach you everything you need to know."_

_"Now," the leader, the Lord of the Wind said, "There are something you need to know. As an heir, you are no longer who you were before. You are now part of Elementia and now you shall be known as the Blood Heir. You shall have no name. Your old name shall never be spoken again. Give it to no one and never reveal yourself. Your birth name is only yours to know."_

_"Wait," Harry interrupted. "How can I have no name?"_

_"You would be given your name when you rise to be the Lord of the Blood. The names are part of your inheritance when we step down from our thrones. Your name shall be given by age, not by the throne you would inherit. That means, my heir, the one who would take over the Throne of Breath, shall be named as Sextus, the sixth son, as he is the second youngest before you. He shall not be named as Primus, which is my name since I am the eldest here. Do you understand?"_

_Harry shook his head._

_The men laughed loudly. "Don't worry child!"the Lord of the Shadows said, "You will understand well enough."_

_"Well, now it is time to meet the rest of the heirs and your soon-to-be brothers," the Lord of the Flame said, walking over to the closed door that would lead deeper into the castle._

_He opened them and a boy about seven walked into the hall. He had flaming red hair and his eyes were the deepest black anyone had seen. He walked stiffly but regally, as though he had just learned the ways of walking properly. After a few words with the Lord of the Flame, he walked over to Harry and smiled warmly at him, causing Harry's heart to jolt with relief and happiness._

_The boy stuck out his hand and said, "I am the Fire Heir, the heir to the Throne of Spirit. I am your third elder brother. Welcome to the family, Blood Heir."_

_Harry took the hand and shook it, smiling at his brother. When their hands connected, a surge of warmth spread throughout his body, igniting every cell within his body. It was a comforting feeling and that was when Harry knew he was going to love it here._

* * *

Harry sighed, rubbing his forehead tiredly when he recalled how his first day in Elementia was. The moment he had met Tertius, he knew he did not want to return to his old family. He had a new one, the Aeternitas, and they were all that meant to him. He spent six years with them and he did not regret his decision to live with them. They were the family he never had and when they did the magic and blood ceremony to bond them together, every single one of them were now looked a little like each other. Secundus gave everyone his handsome looks while Primus gave them his near-genius intelligence. Tertius gave him his excellent vision that could spot the tiniest dirt on the walls. Harry could not be gladder that he gained these attributes from his brothers. He did not look like the carbon copy of James Potter any longer. He looked better than James could ever be.

Spending six years with his brothers made him forget slowly of his other family- the one he had left. A few minutes with his brothers made Harry realise what he had been missing all those years when he was in the Potter Mansion. The laughter, the jokes, the warmth that filled him whenever he spent time with his six elder brothers. He never felt such love and care from the Potter Mansion. When their predecessors passed away, he was only eight. They took over the roles of Rulers of Elementia and that was their first step from child to man.

The responsibilities that came with the prestigious title caused Harry to have less time to think about his past. He never thought about his past family, focusing on his jobs as the Lord of the Blood. He was in charge of the defence of the country and this was no mean feat. Along with that, he had six elder brothers who always bicker and little wars in their castle happened frequently. He had plenty on his plate and he focused on the present, loving every minute he spent with his family and subjects.

Until he received the Hogwarts letter.

Harry was shocked and relieved that he received the letter. He had hoped that he would be able to go to school- especially Hogwarts where he had heard many great stories about. He remembered sitting in a corner, listening to his father and Sirius Black, Avery's godfather, relieve their days in Hogwarts and speak of the magnificent pranks they played on others. It was not the pranks that drew Harry to Hogwarts. It was the promise of a better life and friends. Harry, before he left the mansion, did not know anybody else outside his family and their circle of close friends. But they were not his friends- they did not even care if he was there. They focused on Avery and ignored him even when he was in the room with them.

His eldest brother, Primus of the Shadows, was not pleased that the letter reached Harry. He did not want Harry to leave his sight, being the overprotective elder brother. Primus went to Durmstrang and he insisted that Harry join him there. But Harry was adamant. He wanted to be schooled at Hogwarts, the place where his ancestors were taught. Even when he did not want to do anything with the Potter family, he was curious to see what Hogwarts had to offer.

After a very heated discussion with his brothers and a threat to create a nasty bloodbath if they did not relent to his wishes, they finally agreed and allowed him to attend Hogwarts. Despite the prospect of him meeting his father and twin brother, Harry still wanted to go. He was pretty sure that he could handle the Potters. He was Septimus, the Lord of the Blood afterall. He could save and kill anyone without uttering a word. And after all the etiquette training that he went through during the first years as the Blood Heir, he was sure that he could conceal his true feelings around others.

But all his self-confidence of being uncaring of the Potters broke when he saw them for the first time after six years in Gringotts.

Avery had grown from the chubby, annoying boy from Harry's memories to a young teenager- he was still annoying though. His hazel brown eyes that resembled his father's so much was just as Harry remembered- shining with anticipation at everything. When Avery got mad, fire danced within the brown depths, revealing the kindred spirit within. His hair was now darker red, steadily growing into a very dark shade that could be mistaken for black in the dark. He was tall for his age, though shorter that Ronald Weasley and Harry. He was still as loud and chatty as Harry remembered, always talking about Quidditch or giving his honest, though thoughtless, opinion on everything.

Harry hated Avery for stealing all the attention. He hated him for following his father in treating him like dirt when they were old enough to understand why they were given very different treatment. Harry despised his elder twin brother, he was pretty sure of that.

But Avery was still his brother. And that was the one connection that Harry could never break.

When he rode the train, he was half-hopeful and half-dreading meeting his brother again. But he met the Slytherins first. They were just as he had expected- overly proud of themselves but had good intentions. Harry thought they would make good friends if they just deflated themselves a little. He teased them by ignoring them, trying to act as though he did not care for their titles and prestige. It made him feel as though he could actually have friends- not just acquaintances that only cared for his power and money.

But when Avery came along, Harry was shocked when he saw how stuck-up his brother was. He knew that his brother would be like his father, big-headed and much too proud of himself, but Avery's attitude disgusted him a little. And when Avery begun talking about Septimus, Harry knew that he was actually jealous of him. Harry nearly laughed when he heard the envy etched in Avery's words. Who would have ever thought the Boy who Lived would be jealous of anything or anyone? Much less Harry, who was his very own younger brother.

When Draco insulted Avery, Harry saw that his brother was still the boy he knew, at least in attitude. He grew too angry easily, some kind of Gryffindor quality that their father prided himself over and Harry despised. Avery pulled out his wand just because of a simple insult. Avery was going to hex everyone in that compartment and Harry knew it. And that triggered a train of memories in Harry. When he saw the wand, memories of his father abusing him flashed through his mind. It was the same- first, he gets angry and then, pain. The very thought of it riled Harry up and that was what caused him to stand up and throw his brother and that irritating friend out of the cabin.

He did not regret doing that. His brother needed to be brought down a notch.

In Hogwarts, Harry took great pains to avoid his brother so that they could avoid another fight. He watched from afar how his brother grew to hate him more and more. Strangely, the feeling of hatred from Avery gave him very conflicting emotions.

Then, earlier on in that day, Harry had saved him. Harry just remembered spinning around on his broom when he heard the screams of terror. He then saw Avery falling- and somehow, his mind stop working completely. His body had moved without his permission, his hand rising up to channel his magic out so that he could control the air around Avery. He remembered his mind ordering the air to stop, to carry Avery to break his fall. And when everyone stopped screaming, that was when he had realised what he was doing.

He had acted on instinct- an instinct to protect his brother from harm, even when Harry did not want to. When he had regained control of his senses, he was angered by his lack of control over his body and mind. He had glared at Draco and Ron for making Avery fall, thus making his instincts take control. But somewhere inside him, he felt a little glad that he was able to save Avery.

How he hated the battle inside of him.

Why couldn't he just hate Avery and be done with it?

Why must he be bothered by all this emotions- the very emotions that the Potters never seemed to have when it came to him?

He was torn between hating his brother completely and the bond that he still had with his brother. They were not only blood relatives- they were twins. And as twins, they had a stronger connection than normal siblings.

He did not want that connection. He wanted it to end so that he could be free from anything Potter.

His family did not care anyway. They had forgotten him. So why should he care?

How wrong he was.

He realised that when he was giving back the Rememberall to his brother. His brother had looked him in the eyes and just for a second, he saw a flash of recognition in his brother's brown eyes before it was replaced by confusion. It shook Harry even more when he realised that his brother still had not forgotten about him. Avery still had memories of him. They were vague but there was no doubt that they were still there.

He did not want that.

He did not want Avery to remember who he was.

If he did, he would be forced to retake the name as Harrison Potter.

Harry despised that name.

Harrison Potter was the name of the boy who had suffered- the boy who had been abused by his own father, unloved by everyone. Harrison Potter was the name of the boy who had been overshadowed by his very own twin brother.

Harry was not that boy any longer.

He was someone else.

He was Lord Septimus of the Blood. This Septimus was powerful and strong. He had a family who loves him. He had mountains of Galleons in his vaults. He had an army at his disposal. And he was respected and loved by the people of Elementia.

Harry liked this boy named Septimus.

Harry nestled back on his pillows, getting sleepier by the minute. He stifled a yawn and decided that he had thought too much about everything. He was just an eleven year old, for heaven sakes! Yet, he had a heavy burden to carry. He did not want to be stifled by even more troubles. Especially if the problems concerned Avery Potter and his father.

Harry threw the silk blankets over him, now ready to sleep. He closed his eyes and he hoped that when he awakened the next morning, he would not be bothered by these thoughts and emotions. To not be reminded of the connection with Avery Potter.

Fog filled his mind, slowly lulling him to sleep. But unlike most of the students and teachers in Hogwarts, he was not dreaming of escapades and faraway places. He was again trapped in a never-ending nightmare. And it always ends in a flash of green light.

* * *

Minutes after the Lord of the Blood fell asleep, Avery Potter started awake, breathing heavily.

He had the same nightmare again. It was always the same- a flash of green light and then a terrible, stinging pain. At this point of the nightmare, he would jolt awake, the scar on his cheek throbbing slightly.

He had learned from a long time ago that his scar was the remnant of You-Know-Who's Killing Curse. Apparently, the man had tried to kill him with the curse but it instead rebounded, killing You-Know-Who. The curse left a scar on his cheek and that had become Avery's signature feature.

Avery rubbed his eyes. He was already calming down from the same scene that had haunted his sleep for ages. Avery had told his father but no matter what the latter did, his nightmares kept coming. St. Mungo's had advised him to drink Dreamless Sleeping Potions but everyone knew that excessive use of that potion would poison him as well. He took the potion now and then, sometimes once a week. Otherwise, he would just have to deal with the nightmares and the prospect of being awaken every single night.

He yawned and glanced at the illuminated bedside alarm clock. 12:30 am. He groaned, grimacing over him staying awake alone until breakfast which was not in another five hours. He could never sleep after his nightmares- it was impossible. Sleep became some sort of a phobia for him but he was not completely afraid of sleep to avoid it completely. He had been experiencing the horror of his dreams since he was two. After a while, the nightmares became like a normal routine for him and he did not care much about it. But sleep still scared him a little.

But the 'little' fear kept him awake everytime he woke up from the nightmares.

It was not always like that. In the back of his mind, Avery vaguely remembered some times that he actually fell asleep after the nightmares. That was when he was really young, probably about two or three. He could not completely recall the memories though. All he could remember was someone humming a soft tune and a small hand stroking his hair. Along with those memories came feelings of comfort and warmth- the feeling of being loved. Even from the deep depths of his mind, the feeling was still strong enough for him to revel in now.

But everytime the tune that always played in Avery's mind ended, the warm feeling vanishes and was replaced by emptiness within him.

Avery could not recall who had held him and had stroked his hair. He did not remember the soft words that were actually the lyrics that came along with the tune. The tune was a simple one- comprising of five notes and a constant repetition. But to Avery, it was a song of protection, warding away the terrors of the night. It brought ease to him when he was shaking from the fear. It gave him peace and lulled him back to sleep- sleep that was not occupied with the nightmares.

Avery wished that he could remember the one who had sung him the song and watched over him as he drifted back to sleep when he was very young. He assumed that it was a nanny that had been dismissed when he was around three. He had deduced it from the memories of him staying awake everytime after a nightmare after the age of three. Avery remembered countless nights of trying fruitlessly to fall back asleep without the soft music and the warmth of being loved by another.

How he wished that that person was still around to sing him back to sleep again.

Avery lay back on his pillows, thinking back. He was feeling incredibly tired yet he could not fall asleep. He did not even try, knowing that it was impossible. He had tried humming the tune to himself but it lacked the love from another that came with it. And everytime he finished the song, the feeling of lost and utter sadness would wash over him, causing him to wish more for that person. It was like he had lost part of himself and that song was the only link between the both of them. Humming it was a reminder that he was missing someone or something in his life and that he desperately wanted it back.

Avery sighed, hopelessness filling him. He wondered what Ron would say if he had woken up and saw him so moody and upset in the middle of the night. No one saw Avery in this light. No one had seen the frightened and hurting side of Avery Potter, the side that he reveals every night.

Well, that was because he did not let anyone see him in this manner.

How would they react if they saw the Boy who Lived trembling every night from the same nightmare? They would sneer at him, Avery thought. He had destroyed the Dark Lord when he was a babe but he could not destroy the ghosts of his past? Ridiculous. Avery felt that if someone found out that he feared a memory, he would be shunned. His popularity would fade. His spotlight stolen. And Avery liked the attention he was receiving from the world.

He liked being the Boy who Lived.

Even when he could not admit that he feared a **_memory_**.

And he was ready to suffer through the rest of his nights in his life so that he could bask in the attention and popularity.

Avery settled back into his bed, snuggling beneath the red blankets. He now felt completely deserted. He wanted company- someone who he could share the night with. But he did not want anyone to know of his little night secret. He loved his popularity too much.

How he wished that the mystery person from his past would appear and sing him the song again!

Avery closed his eyes and allowed a tendril of sleep to coil around him. But the memory of the green light forced him to keep awake. Avery was too tired, too sleepy to even try to stay awake. He only had two hours of sleep and god knows that it was not enough for an eleven year old boy.

But his fear of the nightmare was pushing away all attempts to fall asleep again.

So Avery hummed the tune that had used to lull him back to sleep. The tune reminded him of unforgotten memories of the feeling of love from his mother. He remembered her smile and her soft caress. The song brought back fond memories of his past and the ones that he treasured the most. It also brought back feelings that came without any images from his mind. While in his mind he saw a fuzzy blank, he felt peace seeping into his soul and his heart slowing down, beating slower and slower in a steady pace…

Towards the end of the song, Avery was feeling almost at peace. He was elated that this time, he did not experience the same hopeless feeling that usually came around the ending.

He wondered why.

The song ended abruptly when the Boy who Lived finally escaped into the darkness of sleep.

But he did not remember the last memory that flashed before his eyes before the darkness took him.

He did not remember seeing the pair of familiar green eyes that gave him the sense of being loved.

All he knew now was that he would not be disturbed by the terror of his nightmare again.

* * *

**Sorry for late update and short chapter! Had a tough and annoying week and it was really hard for me to write based on Harry's POV! I mean, it would be easy if I just wrote without thinking but that would mean revealing many secrets and basically some parts of the plot before it was time!**

**And, do you prefer me writing in Harry's POV or someone else's? Please tell me your preference so I can make the story better!**

**So, please REVIEW after READING!**


	9. Chapter 9 The Third-Floor Corridor

**CHAPTER 9- The Third-Floor Corridor**

**Sorry for the ridiculously late update people! I finished my examinations about a week ago but I was seriously demoralized when I saw my results so I kind of moped around, emo-ing. **

**So, this is the 9****th**** chapter and it's a little short but I hope this can satisfy you. **

* * *

"Look! A phoenix!"

Everyone looked up excitedly at the shout. They turned to look at the mass of owls bringing in the morning post and sure enough, a glorious phoenix of red and gold was among them. It thrilled its famous phoenix song, calming everyone's hearts, as it circled lower and lower. It carried a long wrapped package. It was obviously here at Hogwarts to send someone something. Everyone in the Great Hall kept their eyes on it, wanting to see who the legendary creature of the Light belonged to. It was not every day you could find someone who owns a phoenix. The only known wizard to befriend one was Professor Dumbledore.

To the surprise of many, the phoenix swooped over to the Slytherin table. It flew overhead the snakes, its long tail feathers brushing against many faces as it searched for its owner. With another trill, it dropped the package in front of the famed Slytherin first-years before landing on the head of Septimus of the Blood. The phoenix bent its elegant neck to nip the boy's ear before sticking out its leg to allow the boy to relieve it from the letter attached to its feathered leg.

Harry untied the letter attached to the phoenix's leg and whispered a thanks to it. Sparing a glance at the package that it brought, Harry picked up a slice of grilled bacon to offer to the phoenix which chirped happily before accepting the offering. After gulping it down, it nipped his ear again before taking off into the air, trilling as it flew to the centre of the hall. Gasps of awe and surprise emitted throughout the hall when the phoenix vanished in a burst of flames.

Harry unrolled the parchment that the Venus, his brother's phoenix, had brought. He was amused slightly by the stares of wonder he was receiving from everyone in the hall. He knew that most of the students would be shocked to see a phoenix, a creature that symbolizes that Light, to be so close with someone from Slytherin, a supposedly Dark house.

"Who is it from Septimus?" Harry heard Draco ask beside him.

Harry took a look at the elegant handwriting within and answered, "My brother, Tertius."

The letter said:

_To my dearest brother of my heart:_

_Septimus,_

_ How are you Blood Prince? I received your last letter about your need for a broom since you had joined the Quidditch team in your house. Firstly, let me offer you my congratulations! Well done my brother- I can't say I am surprised to hear that you had decided to take flying as a past time. You and Sextus were never the kind to keep your feet firmly rooted on the ground._

_ So, I had purchased you one of the best brooms I could afford with my measly allowance that Secundus had assigned to me. I personally wanted to get you the best but Primus said that you could do with the broom I bought. I hope you like it Septimus. I am a bit upset that I could not buy you the best but like what our eldest brother said- You can fly to the greatest height with your talent for flying._

_ So, I am glad to hear that you are excelling in every class you are in. Not surprising, since you are MY younger brother. You certainly inherited my brains and for that, I am very thankful. Imagine if you received Secundus brains, or lack of brains I should say. I shudder to think what both of you would do to shame the Aeternitas family name if both of you are alike._

_ I am fine here in Durmstrang, though missing you a lot. To be honest, fine is a major overstatement. I am DYING here. Secundus has decided to become the most notorious prankster in Durmstrang and no one here could live through a week without being affected by his pranks! And his pranks have no class at all! Just last week, he charmed the Headmaster's __favourite__ robes to change colours! While it may be funny at first, it became absolutely disgusting when the cloth turned transparent._

_ I need not say that the Headmaster went ballistic after that._

_ Secundus, in effect of today, had broken the record. He had received the most detentions in his fourth year than anyone else did in their entire life! I am so ashamed to say that none of our brothers seemed to feel the same way as I do about our second brother's disgusting reputation as a prankster. Apparently, they find it extremely amusing to watch our brother drop Dung Bombs on every single first-years' head. _

_ I apologize Septimus- I do not mean to rage in this letter about our crazy brother of the Light. How rude of me to write a letter to you and complain about that half-baked excuse of a Lord of the Light._

_ I hope you are doing fine there in Hogwarts. At least you do not need to deal with a primate of a brother who is currently causing all the suits of __armour__ in the school to sing some random Muggle songs as I write this letter. _

_ I am glad to know that you had made some friends, people outside our family and country. Remember to be careful- you are a powerful political figure in the Wizarding world so choose your friends carefully. _

_ I am going to stop here. Primus had just shouted for me to deal with Secundus' madness right now. From just rambunctious singing, the __armours__ are now running around the school while doing a quick tap dance. It is extremely annoying and I can't allow this to continue._

_ So I'll stop here and tell you to stay safe and enjoy life before I deal with an overbearing blonde son of a half-troll._

_Your brother of your heart,_

_Tertius_

Harry smiled as he read the last paragraph and imagined his third eldest brother storming off to find his second brother to threaten the latter with a very fiery death. He felt a rush of affection just from reading the letter and he did not mind that his brother had used the letter as a chance to complain about Secundus. Harry was used to it anyway; Tertius had always came to him to rage about Secundus latest pranks. He was still contemplating if he should tell Tertius about the Weasley twins here in Hogwarts. At least that will make Tertius appreciate Secundus more. While Hogwarts has two, Durmstrang has only one prankster. They should feel thankful.

Harry rolled up the parchment, ignoring all the looks he was receiving from his housemates who had never seen him smile so widely before. He gingerly stuffed the precious letter into his robes before eyeing the broom on the table. People were crowding around the broom but no one dared to touch it without his permission. Harry noticed Draco fidgeting impatiently as the blonde boy stared at the broom, still wrapped up in its package, longingly.

Harry resisted to chuckle at his friend's impatience and said gently, "If you want to open it, go ahead."

That was enough to send Draco and Blaise scrambling to tear apart the heavy brown wrapping paper. It was only a matter of seconds before the offending wrapping was shredded and a shiny broom rolled out onto the table, knocking over some jugs of pumpkin juice.

"Merlin!" Draco all but exclaimed loudly. "A Nimbus 2000! That's like a few weeks into the market!"

"And to think that the Slytherin Quidditch team would have a Nimbus in its team…" Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Quidditch Captain said dreamily behind Harry.

Draco's loud comment about Harry's new broom was enough to bring people from all houses to come and admire the broom. It also brought about glares of envy and hatred from other students, mostly Gryffindors. The Gryffindor Quidditch Captain (Wood, was it?) looked close to exploding and his face was already resembling a awfully ripe tomato.

Harry turned to take a look at the broom, almost snorting when he remembered what his brother had said about his '_measly_' allowance not being enough to buy him a good enough broom. The broom cost about as much as a nice enough house and his brother was complaining that had Secundus had not given him enough allowance for a month! Harry had still not gotten used to the richness of his family despite living with them for more than half his life.

"Why do you have a broom?" a familiar voice sounded behind him.

Harry turned around, not surprised to find his twin brother (_not anymore_, Harry reprimanded himself), Avery glaring behind him. At his side, the youngest Weasley son was staring at the broom with an obvious look of longing on his face. The Slytherins had stopped admiring the broom and was now shooting looks of disgust and hatred to Avery and Ron. Not that they noticed anyway.

"Well?" Avery demanded. "First-years are not allowed brooms! Why do you have it?"

"Lay off Potter." Harry internally sighed when he heard Draco putting on his arrogant voice as the blonde sneered at the Gryffindor. Harry did not understand why the Malfoy heir brought it upon himself to rid Harry of anyone or anything that might prove irritating. Harry did not like the feeling of someone fighting his own battles.

"Are you jealous Potter?" Draco continued. "Septimus here is the Seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch team. Youngest in a century and he has the best broom money could afford."

Avery reddened considerably at that. Harry knew that Draco had touched a nerve and that whatever was coming was going to be very nasty. Harry rested a hand on Draco's shoulder, hoping that the latter would get the message that he was trying to get across with the physical touch.

But of course, he did not.

"Don't try and touch the broom Weasel. Don't try to drool all over it as well. Everyone knows that your family can't even afford a twig of the Nimbus."

Harry mentally smacked his face at his friend's tactlessness. It was also not helping that the rest of the Slytherins were sniggering at Draco's ill-mannered insult. Ron was now turning as red as his best friend and Harry was feeling extremely tired now. He certainly did not want to deal with two overheated Gryffindors and a bunch of proud Slytherins. It could turn out to be very messy and looking at the inborn tension between both houses, it was almost certain that wands would be drawn in a few minutes.

Harry was about to step in and offer some words of reason when Avery hissed out, "You think you are such a big shot don't you _Septimus_? Just because you are richer than most of the students combined. You are just like every other slimy Slytherin. You even have Malfoy here as your lackey. You disgust me."

Harry kept silent after that. He half-expected Avery to say something so biased and hateful like that but just predicting it did not make his brother's words sting any less. He felt whatever hatred and pain he was feeling under all the indifferent expression that he had learnt from Tertius rising, threatening to break his usually perfect hold on his emotions. Harry was annoyed that his emotions were in turmoil at the words that had slapped him in the face.

Draco however, had completely forgotten the art of keeping his emotions in check and was spluttering indignantly. "How dare you?" he basically growled out. "You are insulting your betters Potter!"

Harry had had enough. "Draco-"

"You need to be taught about how to respect your elders Potter! I challenge you to a wizard's duel!" Draco finished dramatically and silence met his words.

How Harry wished he could smack Draco around the head right now.

"I accept!" Avery answered with a relish. "Who's your second?"

"Har- I mean Septimus! Who's yours?"

"Me." Ron stepped forward and Harry was pretty sure that the Weasley was not able to put up a very good fight.

"Location and time?" Avery was asking Draco.

"Trophy Room, Midnight. Don't be late."

Avery sneered at Draco and grabbed Ron's forearm before giving Harry a look that could have killed him if looks could kill. Spinning around on his heel, he stalked off, half-dragging Ron away from the Slytherin table. The Slytherins glared at them before returning to their almost-forgotten meals, easily forgetting the excitement from a few minutes ago.

Harry spun around on Draco so fast that the latter nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the green eyes flashing with such ferocious intensity.

"Honestly Draco?" Harry hissed out. "Must you really insult them and then throw a useless challenge at them? Where is your common sense? Are you barking mad?!"

Draco deflated under Harry's fiery gaze. Harry knew that the blonde did not really want to anger him but it still remained a fact that he did. Harry did not appreciate him, actually _anyone _in that matter, to stand up for him. And Draco did not make it easier for him. Instead, he had turned everything into a full-blown disaster. Harry wished he could yell at Draco for acting so haughtily and making the situation worse.

Draco however, did not seem to know how he had done wrong. His grey eyes were wide with shock as he watched his friend glaring at him with such anger that could burn him if he continued to stare into the blazing green eyes.

Most of the Slytherins were either oblivious to the spat between the two friends or were politely ignoring the fight. Only the other first-years were looking shocked at Harry's anger and Draco's fright. Daphne placed a calming hand on Harry's shoulder, hoping that he would spare Draco and calm down.

Harry did. The moment he felt her hand on his shoulder, he felt the rage within smoldering and he took in a huge breath before sitting down. He promptly turned his back on Draco, signaling that he was still mad at his friend.

"We will not be going for the duel, understand?" Harry said threateningly. "I don't need to satisfy yours and the Gryffindors' pathetically inflated egos. And you better not go, Draco. Is that clear?"

Draco nodded, his shoulders slumping slightly. The order was clear from Harry's commanding voice and Draco was in no position to disobey. Draco turned back to his meal and like his angry friend who was still ignoring him, he lost all appetite to continue his meal.

Harry shot Draco another glare before grabbing his new broom that lay on the table. Standing up sharply, he took off from the Slytherin table, ignoring the stares that followed him out.

* * *

Avery Potter and Ron Weasley crouched behind a bunch of piled trophies in the Trophy Room, their nerves jumping as they awaited the arrival of the two Slytherins. They were armed with everything they could get their hands on, from their wands to a couple of Beater bats that they had nicked from the Quidditch store. It was rather difficult to sneak out of the Gryffindor tower unnoticed with bats stuffed up their robes. It was exceptionally difficult with that Granger girl sniffing disapprovingly whenever she was near.

"Where are they?" Ron hissed, keeping his voice quiet. "It's ten minutes past midnight!"

Avery shrugged and kept his eyes peeled on the archway leading into the room.

"Did you hear that?" Avery asked sharply.

"Hear what?"

"Someone's coming!" Avery replied and the both of them hid even more behind the trophies.

And he was right. There were footsteps and they were nearing… coming closer… and finally they stopped when it seemed like the person walking had entered the room. Avery had stopped breathing all together, waiting for the chance to pounce on the Slytherins the moment he received confirmation that the footsteps belonged to them.

And then…

"How dare you?! Creeping out after curfew just to entertain a couple of bigheaded Slytherins! _Have _you two any common sense at all?"

Avery stood up, coming face to face with a furious Hermione Granger. She was dressed in her nightgown, her arms akimbo as she glared at them angrily. Ron stood up as well, rivaling her glare with his own. Avery wanted to groan at the disturbing presence of the self-suffering girl who was a sucker for rules.

"What are you doing here Granger?" he asked sullenly. His use of her last name seemed to make her flare up.

"What do you think Potter?" she snarled. "I heard a rumor that you two had decided to duel Septimus and Malfoy here. AFTER curfew, I might add. I came to knock some sense into your heads!"

"Stop interfering with our business Granger!" Ron snapped.

"_Your _business is my business as well since it affects Gryffindor as a whole!" Hermione retaliated. "If you two get caught, you will lose all the points that I got for knowing about Switching Spells!"

"And that'll be a real disaster," Avery shot back, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Hermione's death glare only intensified at that. "I don't see _you _helping Gryffindor to win the House Cup! All you do is lose all the points!"

"Well, at least we are not an insufferable know-it-all!" Ron roared.

"Everyone quiet!" Avery snapped. "I heard something!"

Then, very faintly, they heard the gruff voice whispering, "Sniff around my sweet. I heard them here. They must be around here."

Avery, Ron and Hermione looked at each other in horror. That voice could only mean one thing. Argus Filch.

When faced with a situation concerning the foul caretaker, you are given three choices. Firstly, you stay there and face the music bravely, knowing that what you did was wrong. Or you could tell a lie and hope that the sadistic man will believe you. But lastly, you could run and try your best not to get caught by the man or his equally wicked cat.

So they chose the best choice.

They fled.

Avery took flight first. He took off, running out of the room and into the deserted corridors, praying with all his heart that they would not be so unfortunate as to slam right into Filch as they tried to make their escape. Behind him, he heard Ron and Hermione following him, hot on his heels.

They turned a corner and raced down a couple of stairs before they halted before another corner to another corridor. Ron and Hermione crashed into Avery's back, who stood stock still when the dreaded voice of Filch saying, "I heard them… They must be around here."

Avery spun around and hurried off into the opposite direction, his heart racing as he led the other two down some other stairs and into another deserted corridor. Ron was breathing hard behind him and Hermione was muttering about how they would get into trouble because of their foolishness.

It was not long until they were stuck at a dead end of a corridor with a locked door.

Avery tugged on the door's handle madly, hoping that it would budge. Ron cursed loudly when the door didn't. Hermione muttered under her breath about how incompetent they were before telling Avery to get out of the way before pulling out her wand. She waved her wand over the door lock and said importantly, "_Alohomora!_"

The door clicked open and Hermione pushed the heavy door, hissing a quick "Hurry!" at them and the two boys complied. The moment they stepped into the dark room, Hermione slammed the door shut.

"Where the bloody hell are we?" Ron exclaimed, bringing Avery and Hermione to their sense and to look around at their new surroundings.

They were in another corridor but this corridor was unlike all the others that they had seen. It was dark, even with some flickering torches attached to the walls. The ceilings were sporting curtains of dust and there was an ominous air to the entire place. The moment they had stepped into the corridor, the temperature had dropped by a few degrees. The three Gryffindors were beginning to shiver from their jumpy nerves and the temperature.

Avery was the first to recover from the adrenaline rush. He shook his head to clear whatever thoughts that might be settling inside his head before muttering to the other two, "Come on. Let's move."

They walked down the corridor, jumpy as they were before. When a rat squeaked and scampered past them, they had jumped a foot into the air and it took all their willpower to not scream. They felt really out of place in that corridor. Something in the air was telling them to turn around and flee but they really had nowhere to go. If they went back out into the hallway they came from, it was almost positive that they will run into Filch, God forbid.

"Well, lookie here, ickle firsties out of bed so late at night!"

The trio looked up, cursing inwardly when they saw the school poltergeist Peeves floating upside down above them. He was grinning maliciously and the three Gryffindors knew that it would not bode well for them.

"What do you want Peeves?" Avery asked in a hushed whisper, hoping that the snickering ghost would leave them alone.

"Naughty little firsties…"Peeves crooned, swooping down towards them, "I should tell Filch, yes I should."

Ron was the first to get his temper high, as usual.

"Get out of the way Peeves!" he snarled, lashing out at the ghost.

Big mistake.

"STUDENTS OUT OF BED! STUDENTS IN THE THIRD-FLOOR CORRIDOR!"

With that, Peeves disappeared, cackling madly, leaving three kids looking completely shocked and terrified.

It was only moments before they heard the trademarked wheezing breathing of the caretaker.

For the second time that night, they ran.

"This way!" Avery directed them down the corridor and as quickly as possible. The other two followed him without question and they hurriedly pulled out their wands to cast _lumos_ to light their way as they rushed down the seemingly-haunted corridor.

They reached another door and thankfully, they were able to get through it without using any spells. They clambered into the next room together, squeezing through the door in a single row before turning around and slamming the door shut together at once. It was then they turned around to lean against the door to sigh in relief. Filch's footsteps were out of earshot. Their breaths were coming in short, awkward breaths as they tried to calm their furiously beating hearts.

"W-what is that?!"

Avery opened his eyes and looked up to see Ron staring at something above their heads with utmost terror. He looked up, wondering what was scaring Ron like that.

A black dog was glaring at them with all six of its eyes. Yes, six, not two. The dog had three heads. And not to mention it was just as big as the room and it was currently glaring at the trio with a rather hungry look upon every one of their faces. They were growling and thick slobber was falling blobs onto the floor.

Avery stood stock-still, his mouth opening a little, on the way to become a full-blown gape that could rival Crabbe and Goyle's. Every fibre of his consciousness was tell him to scream, run, ANYTHING apart from staring at the three-headed killer machine just a few paces ahead of him. His mind was screaming but no sound was escaping from his open mouth. He could not move a single inch of his body.

It was only until the left head of the dog barked a bark that shook the ceiling that he realized that he was in very grave danger.

"RUN!"

This time, it was Ron who screamed the command and again, the trio rushed towards the door, squeezing through it before sprinting away from the three-headed dog that they were very sure was not supposed to be in a school filled with children.

They did not stop to breathe and they ignored all the portraits that muttered about inconsiderate children rampaging through the corridors of the school.

They did not stop until they reached the Gryffindor Common Room.

Collapsing into three comfy armchairs, the trio begun to take huge calming breaths as their mind replayed their horrific experience with a monster.

Avery shut his eyes tightly, trying to relieve himself of the terrifying image of the three-headed monster from his mind. His breaths came in rasps and he was shaken from the near-death experience. He knew that he was not going to be able to sleep without nightmares of that monstrous dog haunting his dreams.

His breaths slowed and his heart slowed down from the speed of a racing car to the standard human rate. He opened his eyes wearily.

The first sight he saw was Hermione standing in front of the two red-heads, glaring at them with intensifying anger. With her brown eyes shooting daggers at them, she looked every bit like a maddened woman in a night dress with her arms akimbo.

Avery bit back a sigh of defeat. He had a feeling that he was in for a long night of screaming and nagging from the girl in front of him.

* * *

"STUDENTS OUT OF BED! STUDENTS IN THE THIRD-FLOOR CORRIDOR!"

Harry looked up the stairs the moment he heard the poltergeist yell. As silently as he could, he begun to make his way up to the third-floor corridor. He had wanted to see what his twin and the Weasley friend would do when they found out that Draco and he would not be coming to entertain them. Unsurprisingly, they managed to get Peeves to announce their rule-breaking. They were Gryffindors- they lacked brains and stealth to sneak around the castle without getting caught.

Harry was soon at the door of the third-floor corridor. Here he hesitated, remembering that this particular corridor was out of bounds to students and whatever was behind that door was dangerous enough to ensure a painful death, as the Headmaster said. But Avery went in- Harry could tell from the wide, open door- and as much as he would like not to enter this forbidden corridor, he was a little worried about the safety of the ones who foolishly entered the hallway. What if the 'painful death' that the Headmaster had dramatically warned them about was real?

As he steeled himself to take his first step into the doorway, a loud scream halted him in his tracks.

A second later, thundering footsteps were heard and a trio of first-year Gryffindors came rampaging into view. Harry eyes widened before jumping to the side of the door as the three Lions rushed out of the door and away from the corridor, never looking back once. They did not notice him- he was under a Disillusionment charm afterall.

Harry stared at their rapidly retreating backs, wondering what had made them look so horrified and run like frightened geese. His curiosity was piqued and he turned to look at the dark corridor, the shadows within flickering with the torches' light, creating an even more depressing effect.

He walked into the corridor and hurried through it. He was a little nervous, he could admit, about meeting whatever was at the other end of the corridor. He was powerful, he knew, but what if the horror was something he could not best? He could use his elemental power of Blood to control any living creature but what if he met something that was bloodless? He could not control that. These thoughts swarmed his mind as he took one step after the other.

And then, he saw it. Firstly, he saw all three heads of the giant dog through the open doorway of the room that held them. They were salivating all over the floor as they barked furiously when they smelled him. With a quick swish of his wand, he silenced them and with a single thought, he froze their bodies with his elemental prowess. Harry then stepped into the room, looking at the great Cerberus in wonder.

_Why, in the great name of Merlin, is a Cerberus doing in a school? _He thought. _What on earth is going on?_

He looked around the room, searching for some clue to answer his questions. He could tell that the beast was here, in Hogwarts, to protect or guard something, just like how it protects the gates of the Underworld in the Greek mythology. But he could not find what it was protecting. There was no door behind the dog or anything that looked like a switch or a hidden door at the walls. Harry looked down at the dog's feet and a trapdoor under the beast's paw caught his eye.

He inched closer to the dog, sparing it a sidelong glance before inspecting his newly found object of curiosity. There was something beneath the trapdoor and he wanted to push the dog away to find out what it was. But his instincts were telling him to leave it alone and go back, away from this place until he investigated more into this matter. Harry was tempted to ignore the little voice inside his head but he learned from his brothers that instincts were usually right.

Thus, he reluctantly looked away from the trapdoor, keeping a mental reminder in his mind to look into this mystery. He absentmindedly gave one of dog's head a pat before walking back out of the room. He shut the door behind him, muttering a quick '_Colloportus_' to lock it before releasing his hold on the dog as well as the Silencing spell.

He then walked away calmly, not betraying the raging thoughts in his mind through his actions. No one saw him or knew he was even there.

* * *

**Yeah, it's short, I know. I am very sorry about that. But I am having a writer's block so I stopped it there. **

**Please REVIEW to give me inspiration to write more!**

* * *

_**Just a look into the world of the Aeternitas family.**_

_In this current brotherhood of the Aeternitas, each brother takes up a single role in ruling their country. The eldest, Primus, is in charge of Foreign relations. Secundus is in charge of Finance while Tertius is in charge of Internal Security. Quartus is in charge of Agriculture while Quintus is responsible for Citizen Affairs such as housing. Sextus is head of Social Events while Septimus (Harry) is in charge of External Security. _


	10. Chapter 10- A Trolling Incident

**Chapter 10- A Trolling Incident**

**Again, sorry for the... EXTREMELY LATE update! It has been more than a month since I updated so I apologise! I could give you the reasons but I think you guys don't really want to hear about it. Same old, same old you know.**

**This is the TENTH chapter. On to the story!**

* * *

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, sat on his favourite chair, pondering over the recent events. It was Avery Potter's first year in Hogwarts and he was proud to see his young protege walking the path that he had planned for the young hero. Avery was a Gryffindor, as he should be, and found friendship in the youngest male Weasley, Ron. Avery did better than average in every class (with the exception of Potions, of course) and was adjusting well to Hogwarts life. He has many friends, allies and although it did not completely show now, Albus knew that Avery had great leadership potential. Avery would be a great leader, as he should since he is afterall the Boy who Lived, the hero of the Light. Everything was going as planned and if it continued that way, Avery would be ready to be the one to lead the Light against the Dark.

But, Albus overlooked one small matter. Septimus of the Blood decided to join Hogwarts. Although he had sent the acceptance letter to him, Albus thought that the young Lord would choose to join Durmstrang like most of his brothers or Beauxbatons like Sextus of the Wind. The letter was just a political obligation as the Lords of Elementia were a force to be reckoned with. No one from the Aeternitas family ever came to Hogwarts, mostly because that the curriculum did not allow them to learn Dark magic, as Durmstrang and Beauxbatons did. But somehow, Septimus decided to break tradition and joined Hogwarts.

This was not part of Albus's plan. He had not expected that the Blood Lord would come to Hogwarts. But he could live with the fact that the child came if he was not sorted into Slytherin, the house of the Dark. And if Septimus had kept his head down, he would not have minded the child too much. But no, Septimus had made an enemy out of Avery and now, they were provoking each other as much as they could. Although he believed that Avery had every right to be angry at Septimus since the latter had disgraced James Potter so badly, Albus could not help but worry that Avery would push the Blood Lord too hard and Septimus, in return, would use his control on lifeblood on the Boy-who-Lived...

Albus shook his head, clearing a mental image of Avery choking on his own blood. The Headmaster sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he thought about the close watch that the elder Aeternitas brothers had on Hogwarts since their youngest was schooling here. He could not do a single action deemed aggressive to Septimus or he was sure that Hogwarts would be burned to ashes. He had to watch his movements carefully as he tried to add Septimus into his plans so that the school would move in the path of the Light.

Albus stood and walked over to the door. Putting all negative thoughts aside, he pulled open the door and hurriedly moved towards the Great Hall. The Halloween's Feast was about to start.

* * *

The Great Hall had changed overnight to celebrate the festive season. Pumpkins as large as Hagrid, the gamekeeper, sat at the corners of the hall, their evil carved faces leering maliciously at the students. Bats hung from the rafters, sleeping peacefully under the star-filled night despite the racket that the students beneath their heads were making. Orange streamers hung from window to window and harmless water snakes slithered on the floor, much to the Slytherins delight. The mood in the hall was buoyant and everyone seemed to be having a good time.

Not everyone though. At the Gryffindor table, a certain red-head was stabbing his mashed potatoes moodily.

"Cheer up mate!" Ron exclaimed, his mouth full of roast beef. "Eat something will you?"

Avery glared at his friend which shocked the latter a little. Ron had never been the one on the receiving end of a glare from Avery. He deflated under the furious gaze of his best mate and focused on his roast beef, sending little sideways glances at his friend. Avery was in a bad mood and he could understand why. Halloween's night was the night that Avery's mother died and although he never talked much about it, Ron knew that he was mourning her death. Every child needs a mother when growing up and Avery did not have that chance. Ron could not imagine what life was like without his own mother and seeing that he wasn't able to cheer up his best mate, he wisely kept silent and allowed Avery to grieve as he wished.

Across the room, a similar situation was occurring at the Slytherin's table.

"Septimus,"Daphne asked worriedly. "You alright? You haven't touch a single thing on your plate."

Harry looked up at her and gave her a small smile. "I'm fine,"he said, trying to comfort his friend. "Today is just a very bad day for me that's all. You don't worry about me."

Daphne nodded slowly and went back to eating her meal, her mind still on her sad friend. Harry gave a sigh and stood up, not wanting to sit through an atmosphere of happiness and cheer when his mood was the exact opposite. Excusing himself from the table, he made his way to the back of the hall and out of the great doors. He headed straight for the Slytherin dungeons, relived that he was finally alone so he could sort his thoughts properly. Every year he had mourned the death of his brave mother alone and his brothers had respected that and left him alone to grieve. But now, he was stuck in a place where no one remembered the death of a brave woman who had so defiantly opposed the Dark Lord even though it meant her death. Nope, everyone was eating away happily, blissfully ignorant of the fact that someone died this very night to stop the Dark Lord. Even the teachers, who were supposed to know Lily Potter well, seemed to enjoy forgetting that she died on Halloween's night and were enjoying the feast as much as the students. And seeing them like that made Harry sick. He couldn't bear to sit and watch them any longer.

"Creak..."

Harry jumped up at the sound, spinning around, his wand out in a flash and his mind ready to invoke his elemental powers if needed. No one was behind him. Harry glared at the empty hallway, inspecting it carefully before stowing his wand away.

"Tap, tap..."

The sound of footsteps could be heard coming around a corner. Stepping behind a suit of armour, Harry hid and waited for whoever was walking in the dark hallways to pass him. He did not want to be interrogated and questioned to why he was not at the feast. He was not in the mood to play the little lord and be polite to anyone. He just wanted to be alone and that seemed to be too hard to get at Hogwarts. He sighed, waiting impatiently behind the armour for the person,whoever it was, to be gone so he could return to the comfort of his bed.

But his curiousity was peaked when Professor Quirrel walked passed. The professor did not look as he always did. He wasn't looking around shiftily and he wasn't slouching as he walked. Instead, he was looking unafraid and he was walking with a straight back and his posture screamed confidence which Harry thought the teacher lacked. The change made Harry suspicious. He was sure that the professor was hiding something now. He had thought the professor was hiding a dark secret from his fake stutter and his incompetence in class but never had he thought that he was right. Harry thought it was just his paranoia that he had gained after serving as Head of External Security of Elementia for nearly three years. Apparently not.

His eyes narrowed as he watched the turbaned man walk in the direction which Harry came from. Once he turned around a corner and his footsteps died away, Harry stepped out of the shadows of hiding spot. Quirrel was up to something, he was sure of that. Curious, Harry went off in the direction where the professor came from. It seemed like Quirrel was coming from the dungeons. Harry stared at the hallway leading to the dungeons before deciding that he would check it out before going to the Slytherin Common Room.

A putrid stench wafted up Harry's nose, nearly gagging him. Temporarily stunned, Harry stood in the middle of the hallway, trying to recover from the horrid smell that was coming from the dungeons. Then, the sound of large, heavy footballs were coming his way. He quickly pinched his nose and for the second time that night, hid away in the shadow of a statue of some famous wizard. As seconds passed, the smell became even stronger and Harry was forced to use part of his air elemental magic to filter out the air from the stink so that he could still breathe properly. If he was to hold his breath any longer or breathe in any more of the horrid smell, he was sure that he would die from either lack of oxygen or the pain of the stink.

A large shadow fell over Harry, causing him to look up. What he saw caused him to widened his eyes in horror. A troll, about fifteen feet in height, was looking around confusedly as it scratched its back with a large club. His beady eyes did not seem to spot him. It looked lost as it lumbered forward, going further into the castle. Stunned, Harry watched the troll walked unsteadily away from him.

Then, it was gone, walking around a corner and moving further away from him. Soon, the heavy footsteps could not be heard any longer and Harry breathed a sigh of relief only to choke on it when he heard a loud, shrill scream coming from the direction where the troll went. His heart going cold, Harry immediately rushed off towards the scream, in hopes that he was not hearing a student scream from the fear of seeing a troll.

He mostly followed the stench of the troll rather than guess where it went. When he reached the girls'washroom, he could see the troll smashing sinks. Water pipes were bursting, water flooding the floor. The troll looked rather grumpy now as it glared dumbly at the girl paralyzed on the ground. She was a Gryffindor and a first-year from the looks of it. Her eyes were fixed on the troll, too scared to move or to protect herself.

Harry instinctively reached out with his mind, calling on his birth element to control the blood that ran through the troll's veins. It was a simple yet dangerous process. Blood followed his every command and order without fail and it was no different with the troll. Harry was not even strained to control a creature so large. It was as easy as stealing candy from a baby. Within seconds, the troll was completely under his control and when he was sure that he had every drop of blood under his mental control, he ordered them to freeze. It did, turning to stone in the troll's veins.

It was not even a minute before the troll came crashing down onto the wet tiled floor, completely dead.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief and pressed a palm to his forehead. Controlling blood always gave him a headache but that was perfectly normal. Blood is never meant to be controlled anyway so forcing it to be compliant to one's wishes take a lot of energy and concentration. Shaking his head to clear it, Harry took a look at the Gryffindor. She was still staring at the troll in shock. She gave no indication that she saw him or was even conscious when Harry defeated the foul beast. Glancing over her, he was pleased that she was not harmed in the least, although was giving signs of mental trauma. Satisfied that she would be safe, at least physically, Harry turned on his heel and departed, retracing his steps back to the Slytherin dungeons.

However, when he turned a corner, into another hallway, he did not see two redheads rushing towards the washroom from another corridor.

* * *

Avery only realised that a certain bushy head know-it-all was not at the Gryffindor table after Professor Quirrel fell in a dead faint onto the stone floor. While everyone was rushing for the doors to return to their Common Rooms, he suddenly had a feeling that someone was not around in the crowd of Gryffindors. That was when he also realised that Hermione Granger had not been around to nag at him that evening, which was like a hobby of hers. Then he recalled overhearing Lavender Brown, a fellow Gryffindor, saying that said girl was crying in a girl's washroom because of Ron's insensitive remark.

Needless to say, he immediately called Ron and both of them went searching for Hermione.

It was her shrill scream that directed them to where she was. When he heard that scream, Avery's blood turned cold. There was only one reason why someone would ever scream that loud now. Hermione saw the troll.

In an instant, both red-heads were running towards the scream. Each step seemed too slow and every second seemed too quick. The silence after the scream was deafening to their ears. Her not screaming was even more scarier than hearing her scream. At least when she screamed, they knew she was still alive.

However when they reached, Avery was shocked beyond words to see the troll lying flat-faced on the ground. It was as still as a statue. Water was sloshing all around its body but it made no sign of consciousness. Ron had walked over and prodded the troll tenderly at its side. It did not respond. Despite the weirdness of it all, the troll seemed dead enough. Avery then noticed the girl they were looking for staring at the troll, open-mouthed, and obviously in shock.

He hurried over and shook her shoulder gently. "Granger, you alright?" he questioned softly as not to scare her.

She did not answer him. Avery bit his lip and started to move away from her so that he could quickly call the teachers but was stopped when Hermione threw her arms around his neck and began to bawl. She was saying something incoherent to him but he was not able to understand her at all so he just patted her awkwardly on the back, trying to comfort her while looking over to Ron for help.

"POTTER! WEASLEY! WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING HERE?!"

The thundering voice caused them to both jump a foot into the air and when Avery turned his head, he spotted a very red-faced Professor McGonagall glaring at them with open horror and anger. Behind her was Professor Snape and Professor Quirrel. They ignored the Gryffindors and instead walked into the bathroom to inspect the troll. Quirell gave a terrified squeak before slumping to the wet floor the second time that night.

McGonagall however, did not seem to give a hoot about the troll and chose to storm over to Avery. Her furious eyes met his shocked ones and she roared at him, "WHY ARE YOU HERE? YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED? WHY DID YOU NOT FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS!?"

Avery gaped at her like a fish out of water, too stunned to reply properly.

"Please Professor,"a small voice spoke out behind him, "they were looking for me."

McGonagall then noticed the shivering girl. "Miss Granger!"she exclaimed.

"I was looking for the troll, you see, since I've read so much about them. So I thought I could defeat one by myself but I couldn't. Then Avery and Ron came and they defeated the troll,"the small girl explained, looking at the teacher's feet in a gesture similar to a child caught in the wrong.

Avery shifted his stun look to Hermione, all to surprised to hear the teacher's pet lie to her favourite professor. Said professor looked shocked too but her gaze soften once Hermione finished her explanation.

"Miss Granger, what were you thinking?"the teacher chided her. "A troll is something that no first-year could handle."

"But Avery and Ron did it,"Hermione countered in earnest.

"Impossible."This time, it was the Potions professor speaking. He shot a suspicious look at the three Gryffindors and continued, "no first-year could cause a troll's blood to freeze. A Freezing Charm is way beyond any of their capabilities and even if they could do it, no first-year should be magically powerful enough to freeze every drop of blood in a fifteen feet high troll."

Hermione shook her head and replied adamantly, "No, I am sure it was Avery and Ron who did it. There was no one else here and the both of them looked exhausted enough."

Exhausted they were, but not from completing a powerful spell. It was because they had been running around the castle looking for her.

"Well!"McGonagall said. "I guess that's ten points for Gryffindor for these boys courageous actions."

But then she frowned at Hermione who hung her head lower. "However, five points from Gryffindor for a reckless action."

"Well, you boys should hurry off to the Common Room. Everyone's finishing the feast there. Miss Granger, go to the Hospital Wing. You are still in shock."

The three first-years nodded and they hastened out of the bathroom. Then they journeyed to their destinations together in silence.

It was Hermione who spoke first: "Thank you for saving me Avery, Ron."

But before Avery could correct her or even reply, she blushed and ran away, leaving him to stare at her retreating back. Behind him, Ron yawned loudly and said, "Wow. We got points for saving her, which we did not do."

"Yeah,"Avery replied. "We should tell her that we did not save her and that the troll was dead, even after we reached her."

"But if we do, won't we all get into trouble for lying to the Professor?"Ron pondered aloud. "Why not just keep quiet about it? We still get the recognition for saving her and Granger would most likely be nicer to us for 'saving' her."

Avery stared at his friend in shock at the latter's rare show of cunning and intelligence. "Yeah!"he agreed, "hey, maybe the other teachers would give us point for this as well!"

The two red heads chuckled and high-fived before strolling to their Common Room, their spirits lifted for being rewarded without doing anything at all.

* * *

"Since when have they gotten so chummy?"questioned Draco suddenly as the Slytherin first-years trooped out of the Charms Classroom.

Harry turned to look at who the blonde was referring to and was greeted by the sight of a laughing Avery, a furious Weasley and a nagging Granger who was lecturing the Weasley on the importance of doing homework. Harry frowned slightly, not used to such a sight. The three of them used to fight all the time and the sound of Ron Weasley insulting Hermione Granger about her looks or her know-it-all attitude was common in the halls. Just yesterday did the two Gryffindors were fighting and somehow, they had seemingly become the best of pals in a night.

Harry shrugged non-commitedly, not wanting to worry himself over the sudden friendship of the three Gryffindors. "I don't know,"he answered Draco as he lead the Slytherins to the Great Hall for lunch. "Maybe Weasley and Potter would do their homework now since they got a friend to remind them every ten minutes."

The Slytherins snorted at that and they too pushed the thought of the Gryffindors out of their mind. Afterall, what can three Gryffindors do?

* * *

**I am so sorry for the shortness of this chapter. I somehow just got a mental bloke and I can't seem to write anymore. My apologies.**

**In the mean time, I might add that I have a feeling that this story would go ON HIATUS. I just don't have the muse to continue it and even if I sit down in front of the computer to start it, I just can't seem to write out anything. I have been holding on to this chapter for nearly three weeks now since I have no idea what to write. **

**I think I am going to write another story, in another fandom, to keep my creativity juices working again before returning to this story. Again, my apologies and I hope you guys would stay with the story. **

**For these awfully short chapter, please REVIEW. It might help me get my muse back!**


	11. Chapter 11- The First Match

**CHAPTER 11- The First Match**

**Thank you for your reviews! I replied some of your questions and for those who I can't or didn't reply through PM, here's the answers:**

**Guest:** _Harry has good intentions, trust me. I won't make him a bad person. Draco is not bad. Draco is selfish and he has a different way of seeing friendship then most. While we are more concerned about good companionship, the Slytherin first-years also consider if Harry's friendship will be beneficial for them. They are Slytherins and they are ambitious so they would be more picky about the friends they pick. And Harry is not disgusted by Draco- he is slightly put off by his over-protectiveness and Draco's want to befriend him only because of the benefits that Harry can bestow if he wished. But Harry still accepts Draco and will talk to him. Hope this clears up the confusion!_

**PS: Dear Noudinator: Seriously? You only read the first chapter and you say my story sucks? Wow, it kind of shocked me to know that you have some kind of weird fortune-telling ability that let you know what would happen in the rest of the story? The first chapter might have sucked and yeah, SURE I agree that the first chapter might be like many other twin fics that exist in the world of HP fanfiction. But that does not mean the rest of my content 'sucks' as you so eloquently said it. I wonder if you say that to every single author who had written a twin fic cos I am pretty sure that most twin fics start out in a similar way and since you never actually read past the first chapter, I guess you never actually know how different each twin fic are. Well, next time, do all twin fic writers a favour and don't assume that every twin fic is the same. Cos most of them are not. And if you really want to know if they are different or not, READ past the first chapter!**

**Okay, phew, I am so irritated by that review. Sorry, I was ranting but I seriously think that if you want to judge someone else's story, read at least 3-5 chapters first before you start complaining how common it is. Don't assume that every fic under the same category are the same since I am sure that every fanfic writer out there strive to make their fic special and different. If they had wanted to create the same story as another, they might as well just copy-paste. **

**No two fic are the same. No matter how similar they are, there are always differences and these differences are usually seen AFTER the FIRST CHAPTER. **

**So, if you want to know if a fic is different, read on and don't make such a judgmental assumption based on the first chapter. Anyways, most stories start out similarly as they need to give the story a base before it could grow. **

**Okay, I am seriously ranting. Apologies mates! **

**Onto the story now! (FINALLY)**

* * *

The Quidditch season was fast approaching and suddenly, Quidditch became the talk of the school. Boys could be heard discussing different moves and tactics over dinner. Girls could be seen gossiping about the best-looking Quidditch player in between class time.

But the hottest topic in school talk was now Septimus of the Blood.

Said boy was not too pleased with the new spike in popularity. Everywhere he went, people would mill around him to either wish him good luck or taunt him. Whenever he walked into the Great Hall for meals, all eyes would turn to him and it would continue to be on him even as he eat. Each house has their own style of dealing with Harry. The Gryffindors would taunt him and take every chance to hex him in the corridors. During mealtimes, they would continuously glare at the back of his head as devious thoughts swim through their minds. The Hufflepuffs would avert their eyes from him whenever he walked past them but would steal glances at him when they thought he was not looking. The Ravenclaws would stare at him with wide-eye wonder and then put their heads together to discuss the chances of him not falling off his broom during the matches. Harry suddenly found himself to be watched, stalked and gossiped about in every corner of the school by them.

But the Slytherins, by far, were the most extreme in their actions. Draco had accidentally blabbered out that Harry had not once played Quidditch before he came to Hogwarts and the Slytherins took it upon themselves to become Harry's personal mass protector plus adviser. Whenever Harry was insulted by the Gryffindors, the Slytherins would take their revenge on them without him knowing, since it was a well-known fact in the Slytherin House that the Blood Lord did not like conflict. Once Harry had walked away from his tormentors, the Slytherins would attack them in droves. Harry only knew about these revenge attacks when he had walked into a group of Slytherins hexing the life out of another group of Gryffindors which had previously insulted him.

Harry, of course, told the Slytherins to back off and leave him to deal with it alone.

Needless to say, they did not listen. The Slytherins believed strongly in protecting their own, especially if that person held the responsibility on bringing glory to their house.

However, when the Slytherins were not planning little revenge attacks on the Gryffindors, they were advising him. Harry could not walk two steps out of his dorm without being cornered by the Slytherin Quidditch captain, Marcus Flint. The captain would then begin his early morning lecture on maneuvers and skills that Harry had to know to catch the Snitch. Once Flint left him alone, he was replaced almost immediately by another Slytherin who had some other tip to give him. Then throughout the week, Slytherins would be rushing towards him to give another tip that they had forgotten before or they had heard from another person. Flint would then watch him during dinner and once Harry finished, the burly sixth-year would drag the first-year to the Quidditch Pitch to do some additional practice. And once they were done, he would follow the irritated first-year to the Common Room and continue his lecture, even when Harry was trying to complete his homework.

Harry, who had been feared and left mostly alone by the population of Elementia, found himself not listened to and very much so not alone. His patience was wearing thin every minute of the day and his annoyance with the Hogwarts' students, mostly the Slytherins, grew by a thousandfold each day.

Thus, it came as no surprise to the teachers who had realised that the young lord was losing his patience when Professor Snape walked in the Slytherin Common Room one night and found his entire Slytherin student body, minus one, stuck to the dungeon walls by an unseen force.

Therefore, it came as no further surpirse that the next morning, Harry was left utterly alone by the entire student population.

And so he found himself all alone at the lake one autumn day. His Slytherin first-year friends too had made it a point to avoid him as much as possible as they too had realised that his patience with people was basically gone. He had been left alone most of the time and he could not say that he was upset with the sudden lack of communication. Back in Elementia, he was usually left alone since his brothers usually had work and school matters to handle. And Harry was a little introverted as well. He did not like being in a crowd. It made him feel trapped in a wall of people who did not care or even see him there. The feeling of being invisible hurts and Harry knew the pain of being unseen better than anyone.

His brothers, although he never told them about it, knew and understood about his feelings and left him mostly alone. They were not only bonded by blood and magic. They were also bonded in emotions and they could more or less feel what the others were feeling at all times. It was something like an instinct that could not be explained logically or through magical means as this bond was not created by logic or magic. It was created by pure understanding and complete love for the other and Harry was always grateful to be part of such a wonderful, loving family.

Harry sighed and watched the small waves of the lake, wishing that his brothers were there with him.

_I miss them so much... _he thought as he breathed in the salty air. _I miss Primus who would always sit by me whenever I feel so alone like this and never pester me until I was ready to talk. I miss him ruffling my hair. I miss Secundus who would bound into my room and annoy me so much till I can't stop laughing. I miss how he would drag me off to some girls and try to teach me the art of flirting. I miss Tertius and his long intelligent talks about magic and science. I miss how he would come to me and complain about Secundus. I miss Quartus who would cook me my favourite food whenever I feel down. I miss his laugh and his ridiculous humour. I miss Quintus and his down-to-earth talks about day to day stuff that makes me feel like a normal kid, not just a powerful Blood Lord. I miss how he would smile at me so honestly and kindly. I miss Sextus who would climb into bed with me and hold me whenever I have nightmares. I miss the lullaby that he would sing to me so that I would return back to sleep peacefully._

_I miss them so much. I feel so alone now..._

Harry felt his heart falling when he thought about the moments he shared with his brothers. Although he did not spend too much time with them, they made it a point to make very minute he spent with them to be meaningful so he could cherish them forever. Even during mealtimes which were always taken together, Harry loved every minute of it. Primus would sit at the head of the table, pouring over a newspaper or some important-looking documents as he spooned food into his mouth, sometimes missing and smearing the food at the sides of his mouth instead. Secundus on the right side of the table would be playing with his food- making a mustache on his face with spaghetti or throwing chicken wings at Tertius across him after he cleaned them to the bone. Tertius would glare at Secundus throughout the entire meal and when he was pelted with small bits of bone, Tertius would set Secundus hair on flames. Secundus would scream in fright and no one would bother looking up from their food but Quartus would then extinguish the flames with his Water Elemental Power as soon as the fire appeared, all the while not hesitating in his chat with Quintus about random topics. Sextus would forget about his fork and knife altogether and stare into mid-space as food floated into his mouth bit by bit as he chewed slowly.

And Harry- he would watch them with the comfortable feeling of peace in his heart, remembering every little detail about his brothers.

Harry loved watching them and even when they were not doing anything with him, they made him feel included. Cherished. Loved.

His eyes started to sting and he cursed himself for being so emotional. But he could not help but feel even more alone at the moment when he remembered that his brothers would not be there to watch him in his first ever Quidditch match.

But even when he was alone in his thoughts, he was not alone in the physical world. Harry heard footsteps that were muffled by the lush green grass behind him. It snapped him out of his reverie and he looked over his shoulder to see who it was.

It was Avery, Weasley and Granger. They were huddled around a jar of blue flames, warming their hands. Avery was intensively reading a book that Harry could not see from his position. Neither of the Gryffindors noticed he was there as he was rather hidden from view behind a large tree.

Harry watched them, not really knowing why. Maybe because they looked so carefree and young. They did not look like they had suffered throughout their childhood, just as he had. They did not look like they had the weight of an entire country on their shoulders like he did. They were perfectly normal kids and despite all the luxuries that Harry had obtained by running away from his previous dwelling, he could not help but to envy the Gryffindors for their lack of problems. They did not need to ponder over politics as he had to; they did not have to keep his true identity hidden like him. They were nothing like him and no doubt they would not want to be like him. But Harry- he wanted to be just like them. Young. Happy. Unbroken.

He mentally slapped himself. Frowning at himself, he chided himself for being so blue on such a beautiful day. As he was unsuccessfully trying to clear his mind from depressing thoughts, he watched his Head of House, Professor Snape, limping over to the Gryffindors. The trio did not realise that he was coming of course; Gryffindors were rarely alert to their surroundings afterall.

"Reading library books out of the school is forbidden Potter," Snape was saying. "Five points from Gryffindor. Hand the book over."

Harry resisted the urge to snort. Reading library books outside of the school walls were not forbidden. Snape was just making that lie up to rile Avery up no doubt. To make it even more hilarious, the trio looked extremely unhappy about the unfair punishment. Avery and Weasley were muttering something that Harry could guess were curses to the Potions Master.

Then Harry glanced at the slowly retreating back of Snape. The fact that he was moving slowly was unusual. Snape always moved quickly, taking long strides that gave him the air of urgency. But this time, he was not moving as fast as he usually did. Hell, he was not even moving as quickly as a normal person would. Harry then noticed his limp and wondered what had happened to him. At the rate Snape was going, the injury had to be pretty bad to slow him down to such a snail's pace.

But Harry had to give the man credit. Even with his injury, Snape was able to create the billowing effect on his robes- still giving the professor the image of a bat.

Harry watched the Gryffindors take their leave and once they were gone, he settled back against the trunk of the tree. He closed his eyes and breathed out a contented sigh. With Quidditch practice every evening and the sudden increase in homework, he was not able to rest properly and he was beginning to feel the fatigue catching up to him. Today was a good day to rest, he had thought, and that was why he was here at the lake, hidden from view and away from the bustle and noise of the school. And he needed to have enough energy for tomorrow's Quidditch match against Gryffindor. Although it did not seem like it, he badly wanted to win the match for his house and more importantly, himself.

With nothing but the soft splashes of water hitting the banks breaking the silence, Harry was gently lulled to sleep by the feeling of peace around him.

* * *

The Quidditch stands were decorated by banners of red and gold as well as green and silver. Well, mostly red and gold since three-quarters of the school was supporting the Gryffindor team. Draco scowled for the third time in the same hour as he watched the sickening sight of the waving red and gold banners across the Slytherin side of the stands. The noise they were making there was spectacular. Trumpets were blown, girls were screaming and guys were yelling their encouragement to the Gryffindor team. Even the commentator, Lee Jordan, was biased as well, making snide comments about the Slytherin team. McGonagall was not helping much either. She did not stop him entirely from that derogatory remarks only glared at him. Draco hated it when Gryffindors were given leeway just because everyone thinks they were _so _'innocent'.

But that was not the reason to why he was so frustrated that day. It was the fact that his self-made rival, Avery Potter, had somehow become the Gryffindor Seeker. Rumour has it that he was playing in the Pitch on one sunshiny day and did an amazing catch that was coincidentally seen by the Gryffindor Head of House. Of course, he did not believe a word of that rumour and was upset that the school was giving special privileges to the 'Boy-Who-Lived'. Avery Potter was not that all good anyways, as a Seeker! Currently, he was just flying around on his new, school-sponsored Nimbus 2000. There was not a single indication to show that he had any talent on the broom.

Draco cheered again as the the Slytherin Chaser, Marcus Flint, his distant cousin. Thanks to him, the score was tied up at 50-50. The Gryffindor side of the pitch became impossibly even more noisier as they screamed their support for their team. The Slytherin side remained poised as ever, calmly waving their flags adorned with the silver snake symbol, not allowing anyone to see their excited, eager feelings within. Draco glared at Katie Bell, the Gryffindor Chaser, who had scored again, getting Gryffindor in the lead. The points kept on fluctuating and there was no real signs on who would win this match. Avery was still high above the rest of his teammates, evidently searching for the Snitch without being in the dangers of being hit by a Bludger. Harry was no where to be found, having gone higher into the clouds to completely stay away from the match. Draco sat back, his eyes straining to observe the game and predict the chances that Slytherin could win.

But a high-pitched scream from the Gryffindor side cut through the roar of the crowd, attracting everybody's attention. Draco then noticed the odd movements of Avery Potter. The broom was jerking around, like a untrained horse trying to throw off its rider. If the broom was an old one, perhaps Draco could say that it was malfunctioning but the Nimbus- it is a world-class broom and it would never malfunction in this manner. Ever. If Draco was good at anything, it was at differentiating between a malfunctioning broom and a sabotage and currently, it was certainly looking like the latter.

Avery Potter was desperately trying to hold onto his broom and Draco had to admit that he was doing a fine job at staying on it. A lesser man would have been thrown off the moment the broom started to act in that manner. The entire match had stopped as people were staring at him, nobody really doing anything though. Flint, being a Slytherin, had taken the chance to score more goals but then again, it didn't matter as the referee was not even paying attention to note the scores.

Suddenly, the Nimbus end jolted upwards. Draco's mouth dropped open as he watched Avery drop down the sky like a sack of potatoes, nobody who likes him near enough to save him. Adrian Pucey, a Slytherin Chaser, was close enough to grab hold of the Potter heir but deliberately moved further away discreetly as not to be blamed for Avery's injuries later on.

A blur of green flashed passed the Slytherin supporters, followed by a ripple of wind that ruffled their well-kept hair. Draco watched, amazed as Harry, who was out of everyone's sight appeared again in a speed that no one could ever thought possible. Harry made a direct dive down towards the ground, without slowing down and everyone, including Draco, held their breaths as they watched Avery plummeting to the ground so quickly and the Slytherin Seeker, diving so precariously towards the ground to save his rival.

Draco's eyes widened when Harry was level with Avery. Harry grabbed onto the Gryffindor's collar and pulled him onto his broom. However he was still going straight to the hard ground. But a feet above the ground, Harry pulled up, his broom turning away from the ground and going up into the air again, distancing himself safely from the ground.

For a second, the crowd was silent.

And in the next, they were all screaming, cheering for Septimus of the Blood.

Draco too, was yelling his admiration of his friend's noble act. Although he would have liked seeing the Gryffindor Golden Boy bruised a little, he was even more delighted to see Harry pulling off such an amazing save for someone that the Slytherin Seeker should not even care about. And in Draco's mind, if Harry was inclined to save a person who he dislikes, Harry would do wonders for the people who are his friends. And to Draco, to be in the good will of Harry, was like an early Christmas present.

Harry had slowly landed and was waiting for Hooch, the referee, to inspect Avery. Said boy was holding onto Harry like a lifeline, his eyes wide open with shock, fear and disbelief. Harry gently pried him off from his waist and clasped a hand on his shoulder to steady him as Hooch hurried to them. When she came, she immediately checked Avery for any signs of injury while the crowd waited with bated breath.

When the referee gave the thumbs-up to indicate that the Boy-Who-Lived was fine albeit the shock, three-quarters of the crowd went up in cheers. Draco scowled, his hopes for the Potter brat gaining an injury, dashed.

Dumbledore, at the teachers stands, stood and his magically amplified voice rung throughout the pitch. "In light of this event, the Quidditch match shall be postponed as to allow the Gryffindor Seeker to recuperate and allow the Gryffindor team an equal chance to the Slytherins in this match.

At the Slytherin side, outrage met his words and the Slytherins had lost all notions of remaining graceful and composed. Draco scowled heavily. This never happened if anybody from the Slytherin team was hurt during the match! And if Potter was not able to play, then it should be like every other match in the world- A team member gets hurt? Too bad, your team have to play one player short.

But even the angry yells and protests from the Slytherins were drowned by the sound of the Gryffindors and their lovers cheering even louder.

"WAIT!"

Another magically amplified voice stopped the cheering effectively as everyone recognised the high-pitched thrill of the Quidditch referee. All eyes turned to look at her.

Hooch was holding Harry's left hand up which was clenched into a fist. Everyone squinted at it and in a split second, Draco caught sight of a shimmer of gold fluttering inside Harry's fist.

It was not long before everyone realised that the Slytherin Seeker had already caught the Snitch before he went down to save Avery Potter.

The Slytherins begun to scream and cheer. Draco was jumping up and down, hugging Blaise in celebration. Draco knew that even if Dumbledore tried his best to postpone the match for his precious little Golden Boy, he couldn't because Harry had caught the Snitch during the match and thus, Slytherin had won with 150 points in the lead. Draco sneaked a glance at the Gryffindors. They looked completely deflated and were not even making a single peep to protest. Everyone knew the most concrete rule of Quidditch- If the Snitch was caught during the time of the match, the team whose Seeker caught it will be awarded with 150 points and the match will end. There was no bending of this rule and Draco could see the disappointed face of the wizened Headmaster from a distance away.

Draco flung himself to the edge of the stand, leaning against the fence as to wave at Harry. He grinned when his friend waved back before the latter retreated to the Slytherin changing room.

Flint had flown over to the Slytherin stands and yelled, "Party in the Common Room in fifteen minutes!"

The Slytherins cheered louder and they hurriedly made their way to the Common Room. The euphoria of winning this match against the Gryffindors was sure to remained in the Snakes for a long time to come.

* * *

Harry was walking back to the Slytherin Common Room slowly. He had just finished showering and was the last to leave the changing rooms as he was delayed by many people wishing to offer him congratulations for catching the Snitch as well as expressing their admiration of him saving Avery. It was ages before he could get away and the other members had already left the changing rooms by the time he got there. Most likely, they were partying in the Common Room and Harry was looking slightly forward to it. He had never been in a rowdy, teenage party and he wanted to experience the feeling of just being a normal teenager. Quickening his step, he took another turn and walked down the empty hallway that lead to the Great Hall.

But the silence of the hallways was disturbed by three loud voices that he knew very well.

"The three-headed dog is called Fluffy?"Ron Weasley was saying in a disparagingly manner. "Seriously, who in the name of Merlin would call a gigantic dog _Fluffy_?"

"Ron! That is not the important thing!"the voice that belonged to Hermione Granger chided him. "Who is Nicholas Flamel is more important! If we know who he is, then we might have a clue what is under that trap door!"

"Well, let's find out who he is. And we need to find it fast before Snape gets his slimy hands on it." Avery's voice was filled with resolution.

The sound of footsteps of the three Gryffindors gradually vanished and in the hallway which was just deserted by the three Gryffindors, a lone Slytherin stepped out from behind a suit of armour. His face was stony but his thoughts were not. Within his mind, he was already connecting the dots. He knew who Nicholas Flamel is and he now certainly know what's under that trap door that the Cerberus called Fluffy was protecting.

The Philosopher's Stone.

And someone was trying to steal it.

Harry let out a growl under his breath and begun to jog to the Slytherin Quarters, all thoughts of party gone and replaced by the need to report to his brothers about the turn of events in Hogwarts.

* * *

**Did you like it? I hope so! The extra detail about Harry's brothers are to give a little more background information about his life with them. **

**So please review! I would really like to know what you think about this chapter! **

**Cheers,**

**~Rin**


	12. Chapter 12- The Desire in Your Eyes

**Chapter 12- The Desire in Your Eyes**

**This is a VERY long update and I seriously have to apologise for this! I can list you a thousand and one reasons but I don't think that you all want to read it. But basically, all my reasons center around one word: BUSY. I really am sorry for not updating for so long but I really could not find the time nor the energy to keep writing. And when I do find the time, I still feel too tired to actually sit for long and type it out.  
**

**So again, I'm very sorry and hope you all won't try to kill me for this LONG update! **

* * *

Christmas was just around the corner and currently, many students were milling around to wish each other a Merry Christmas. The Christmas cheer had reached every inch of Hogwarts. The decorations were up and ready for the festive day. Outside, snow was falling gently to the earth. The castle was covered with snow and icicles hung at the end of every roof. At night, the castle lights shone through the numerous windows, casting the castle in a warm, inviting glow. All in all, the castle looked very much like a scene from a Christmas card.

Avery Potter sat in his favourite armchair in front of the roaring fire in the hearth of the fireplace of the Gryffindor Common Room. It was near midnight yet he was unable to sleep. The cause of this insomnia was the letter that was crushed in his fist as he stared into the flickering flames. He received the letter during the morning mail and he was not pleased at all to see the contents. Avery glared at the fire, still furious with the words of the letters.

It had said:

_Prongslet,_

_Hey Buddy, Happy Christmas! I know this is sudden but cancel your trip back home for Christmas. Your dad is a little... um, indisposed, for the holidays... You know, work and all. _

_Sorry Prongslet. Stay at Hogwarts alright? We'll send you loads of presents. Don't worry about it. _

_Happy Christmas!_

_Love,  
Padfoot_

Avery was looking forward to having Christmas at home, with his father and his godfather but his father was 'indisposed', as Sirius had said. 'Indisposed' was the code word that his godfather always used when his father was either too drunk or too busy with stuff that Avery did not wish to know of. Although this kind of situation rarely happens, it still happened twice in his eleven years of life. The first time it happened was when he was two. His father had drunk himself stupid as he was mourning the fact that it was the first Christmas he would spend without his wife. The second time was when he was five. His father was alright until Christmas morning when he had received hundreds of hate-mail from people who was asking about his twin brother, Harry, and insulting his father about his lack of concern about the second born. James had burned every single letter and in his rage, tore down every Christmas decoration that they had so meticulously put up together.

Everytime his father got into a rage like that, he would hurry to the fireplace and Floo to his godfather's and stayed there while Sirius tried to calm down his best friend. Although James had provided him with a good childhood with plenty of love and care, there were moments when his father showed his true self that was slowly breaking after his wife's death. It weighed down on James like a heavy rock, slowly crushing him. Avery admired the way his father did not crumble under the pressure and instead had stood up tall and moved on to provide the best for his child even when he was hurting. Avery knew that his father was in pain every day eversince his mother's death even when he never shown it.

Anger had slowly made way to bitterness and Avery relaxed his tense shoulders. He should not be like this, he told himself sternly. His father needed the time to himself and Avery, as his only son, should not be whiny and not hate his father for this. Avery crumpled the letter and threw it into the fire. He watched it burn and turn into ashes.

Once it was gone, he stood up, stretching his aching muscles. Suddenly feeling sleepy, he headed up to his bed, feeling less burdened by the letter than before.

* * *

"Harry, why are you staying in Hogwarts?"Daphne asked worriedly.

Harry smiled thinly at her and replied simply, "Five of my brothers are trapped on a ship."

Daphne arched an eyebrow questioningly. "Trapped on a ship? Are you joking?"

"Sadly, no. And they would most likely be on that ship until summer."Harry's smile grew a little wider and he continued,"You should get moving. The train'll leave without you if you don't start moving now. Not to mention Draco's looking a little bit impatient."

True to his words, Draco was tapping his foot impatiently, his arms wrapped around his shivering body. He glared at Daphne's back and called out, "Can we go now? I am sick of standing in the snow."

Both Harry and Daphne rolled their eyes before exchanging their goodbyes. She then pulled on a fur cap and waved at him as she hurried over to Draco.

Harry watched their retreating backs as his friends made their way to the train station to return home. He was looking forward to going home as well but at the last moment, Tertius sent him a very angry letter about Secundus. In the midst of many insults and complains, Harry was able to discern that Secundus had somehow caused the ship that Durmstrang uses to transport their students from their school to a holding school further south during the winter to be locked from the outside. No one could get onto the deck from below as all the doors to open air had been fastened. No amount of magic could break open the locks, or the door, so the entire school population was stuck inside the ship until the Bulgarian Ministry find out a way to undo the enchantment that Secundus had placed on the ship. Even Secundus did not know how to undo his own enchantment, insisting that he had never thought up a way to undo it as his pranks were meant to stay as long as possible.

Tertius, needless to say, had nearly barbequed Secundus but was fortunately held back by the other three brothers.

Sextus, the only other one who was not stuck in the ship, had returned back to Elementia earlier. However, due to the fact that the five eldest were not in Elementia, all responsibility was passed on to him. The amount of work that the second youngest now had had multiplied greatly and although Sextus was rather overwhelmed by the heavy workload, he took it calmly and instructed Harry to stay at Hogwarts eventhough Harry wanted to return to help him with the work. Sextus had commanded him (and this was rare since Sextus was the most gentlest and soft-spoken of all them) to stay and enjoy Christmas at Hogwarts. He explained in a letter that Harry was the youngest and he should not do so much boring political work lest he age too quickly. Harry, upon reading that, was rather tempted to remind Sextus that he was only a year older, but refrained. Since the five eldest brothers were unable to conduct official work in their current predicament, Sextus became the regent and his words were law, even to Harry. Harry, although slightly bitter that his brother did not want him to help, reasoned that Sextus was doing this for Harry's sake and accepted his decision.

Harry shook his head, clearing these thoughts, and retreated back into the comfort of the castle. His feelings were mixed- disappointment at not celebrating Christmas with his family, pity for Sextus, who was always the most relaxed and carefree of the brothers, suddenly having to work five times harder and hilarity at his five eldest brothers' unfortunate situation.

But Harry knew that he would try to enjoy Christmas at Hogwarts, even if it was by himself. Every other Slytherin had returned home and there were only a few others from other Houses that stayed. There were a couple of second-years from Hufflepuff, a single Ravenclaw and very unfortunately, the entire clan of Weasleys and Avery Potter from Gryffindor.

He sighed as he retraced his steps back to the Slytherin Common Room. This year's Christmas was looking to be very lonely and infuriating for him. No doubt the Gryffindors would try and irk him as much as they could and Harry was not looking forward to it. Harry felt his heart sinking at the very thought of it and his steps became increasingly heavier as he made his way to the comfort of his common room.

Soon enough, he was down in the corridors of the dungeons, close to the Common Room, safe from the prying eyes of other students. Many students avoid the Slytherin corridors.

Or so he thought.

"Well... Look like the big bad Blood Lord is all alone now."

_Great,_ Harry thought, his shoulders nearly slumping in resignation that he has to deal with his brother.

He turned around and placed a cool, expressionless mask on. Avery was leaning against the cold dungeon wall, his brown eyes glaring spitefully at the Slytherin. Harry calmly met his gaze, waiting for him to speak again.

"So the great Septimus is staying for Christmas..."Avery said, his voice harsh. "Bet your brothers don't even want you back home. Even better, maybe those lost sheep that call you their leader realise that you are evil and banish you from their country."

Harry did not even grimace. He did not feel anything from his twin brother's jibe. It was a baseless remarks His brothers loved him and he knew it. His people- they were the most loyal people anyone could over hope to lead. The people of Elementia would never rebel or betray the Lords of the Elements. Doing so could cause a great catastrophe as the world's balance would be overturned.

Harry just shrugged. He was getting rather tired from the hateful looks from Avery and decided to speed things up a little.

He stepped forward, his nonchalant face turning to dangerous. The sudden change of situation caused Avery to step back, his face turning slightly fearful although those brown eyes still held the trademark Potter defiance.

"Listen Potter. I am not in a good mood and you are currently standing in a Slytherin corridor. I could do anything to you and you could scream but no one would hear you. You do not want to push me any further for I will retaliate. Understand?"

Avery was taken aback by the clear threat and was looking rather unsure if he should turn and run or stick to the useless Gryffindor bravery and continue tormenting Harry by staying.

But once a familiar gripping sensation appeared around his neck, Avery turned tail and ran.

Harry let out a breath of annoyance. He did not like the idea of using too much of his Blood control powers on people. It is immoral and he knew that. To be able to control, torture and kill people like it was as easy as breathing was a tremendous burden on him. He sometimes fear that he would one day lose his control over his own self and kill someone. The power of controlling Blood was a constant reminder that he must not get too emotionally involved in anything.

Harry banished these thoughts, chiding himself for thinking too much. He had a job from Primus he had to focus on. After reporting to his brothers that the Stone was in Hogwarts, the eldest and the leader of the brothers had involved himself in the situation. Primus, being the only real descendant of the Elementia Lords since time started, he was the only one who understood the significance of the Stone. Although Harry knew about the Stone, he did not know about how the Stone was related to Elementia. All he knew was that the Stone must be retrieved from wizarding hands and returned to the rightful holder- Primus.

Making up his mind to search for the Stone at night, Harry hurriedly continued his journey to the Slytherin Common Room to take a small nap before the night came.

He has to find the Philospher's Stone- and fast.

* * *

It was Christmas and the mood in the Great Hall was filled with elation and fun.

The Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and the single Ravenclaw had befriended each other and were sitting together. They were roaring with laughter and serving each other food when the plates were empty. They were chatting amiably, looking rather satisfied with the company they had that wonderful evening.

But every now and then, they would turn to glare at the sole shadow sitting at the other end of the Great Hall.

Septimus of the Blood, the only Slytherin staying for Christmas, looked incredibly uncaring over the lack of company. Although the professors invited him to eat with them at the High Table with the rest, he declined, much more preferring to sit at his house table alone. Avery had shouted a few mocking statements which made a number of those sitting at the High Table to smile or laugh (Hagrid and Ron laughed the hardest), but never did Septimus gave him any indication that he even heard the biting comments. He was just minding his own business, looking as though he had even forgotten that the professors and the students were even in the Great Hall. He ate slowly, following dinner etiquette to the letter, very unlike the rest of the students who were eating as fast and as much as they could without any thought to their table manners. Although he ate the slowest, he ate the least and he was the first to finish. He left the Great Hall as silently as a ghost and no one actually noticed him leaving, too absorbed in their own fun to bother about the cold, silent boy.

Stuffed beyond compare, the Weasley clan and Avery Potter bade the teachers and the rest of the students goodbye after the feast finished. Looking like incredibly well-fed turkeys, all of them just wanted to head up straight to bed and sleep contentedly. The Weasley brothers went straight up to their dormitories, ready to turn in for the night. However Avery had other plans.

He waited for another hour until he could hear the loud snores from Ron and until the vibrations on the wall caused by the Weasley twins experimenting on something, stopped. Once he was sure that they were all asleep, Harry took out his Invisibility Cloak from the folds of his robes and pulled it on. He wanted to look for books that held some hint of the name Nicholas Flamel. Every book that they had touched (and the number of books the trio touched was a great many, thanks to Hermione) did not hold any hint of the name Flamel. Ron willingly gave up on the challenge the moment Hermione left for home, wanting to enjoy a lazy moment before she returns to drive them back to research. Avery, on the other hand, was much more driven to find out who Flamel was. He had his mother's never-ending curiousity or so his father said. He really wanted to find out Nicholas Flamel was hiding in Hogwarts and why.

Hurrying out of the Common Room, he rushed off towards the Library, glancing around every now and then to make sure he would not run into anyone. He passed a few ghosts but they did not notice him there and floated away peacefully.

Soon enough, he was at the library and he immediately headed to the Restricted Section. Hermione wanted to enter into this forbidden part of the library before but Madam Pince, the sour-faced librarian, chased her off. Now Avery got the chance to take a look around. If Nicholas Flamel was connected to any Dark objects, that would explain why they could not find any mention of him in the other books. All Dark books were kept in the Restricted Section and only a special few could enter there.

Avery sighed when he took a look at the numerous bookcases filled to the brim with sinister-looking books. _It's going to be a long night..._he thought tiredly and begun to pull one book from the first bookshelf.

* * *

Harry ran his hand through his hair in frustration. He had searched for nights now and yet, he could not find any single hint of where the Stone might be kept. To make it worse, it seemed like the caretaker's cat, Mrs Norris, had picked up his scent and he was pretty sure that the wretched cat was stalking him despite the fact that she could not see him. Harry did not like to torture animals but in the light of recent events, he had to stop Mrs Norris from tailing him.

He whipped out his wand and spun around, a Stunning Spell ready on his lips when a sudden ghostly scream broke the silence of the hallways.

And immediately after that, a disturbingly happy-looking Filch appeared beside his cat muttering:"It comes from the library, my sweet. We'll catch the little brat soon."

With that he rushed towards Harry, not knowing that the child was there. Harry hurriedly leapt out of the way of the racing Filch. Mrs Norris followed her master but turned back to meow at Harry which he perceived as some sort of threat from the cat. She then followed Filch to the library where an unlucky student might be caught by the horrid caretaker.

Harry shuddered, pitying that student, but was back on his serious state of mind. He needed to focus. He had searched most of the hallways in the school and this was one of the hallways that he had not searched yet. He spied a door at the other side of the corridor and hurried over to it.

He pushed it open, glad to find it unlocked. He walked in slowly, his eyes sweeping from side to side to look for any sign of danger. The room was empty, with curtains of dust and cobwebs hanging from the ceilings, stretching from one wall to another like a canopy. As he placed one foot in front of another, he kicked up puffs of dusts and it floated away from him like a crumpled grey cloth.

But one thing stood out from the all the dust- A tall, shining mirror in the middle of the room that was not covered by even an inch of dust.

Harry stared at it, making his way slowly to the center. Something about the mirror attracted his attention more than it should. It was not the grandness of the mirror- he had seen enough majestic mirrors to make this mirror not put an impression on him. It was not the oddness of the situation- why in the name of Merlin was a mirror doing in a room full of dust?

What attracted him was the magic thrumming in the mirror. It pulsed like a heartbeat but it was gentle, soothing yet it seemed to be setting off warning bells in Harry's head. The magic he was feeling from the mirror was not like any other forms of magic that he experienced before. It was not dark, nor was it light and it was especially not elemental magic. But it was magic, perhaps an ancient form of magic, lost throughout history.

Harry crept closer to it and his sharp eyes that helped him see relatively well in the dark noticed inscriptions around the border of the mirror. It seemed to be in English but it was written in a rather odd way: "_Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi". __  
_

It didn't take long for him to realise that the words were written in an inverted way, like how words would appear in a mirror. Quickly translating the inscription in his mind, he found out the what it really said.

"I show not your face but your heart's desire," Harry whispered as tentatively took a step closer to it. He was not sure how he would react if he saw his heart's greatest desire reflected in the mirror. What would happen if what he thought was his heart's wish, was not actually his truest want? What if the mirror showed something that he never thought he would see? Harry's heart thumped heavily against his ribcage as he drew his eyes to the surface of the mirror.

It showed him, dressed in a set of green casual robes, although he was under a Disillusionment Spell. However, his face was not the same. He didn't have the shining, hair that was blacker than midnight any longer. It was just black. His hair was not slightly manageable- it was horrendously messy and wild. His brilliant green eyes did not shine in power, intelligence, superiority or hidden secrets. It was wide, innocent and excited and even more surprising; they were hidden behind a pair of circular glasses. His face did not have the kingly features bestowed onto him by Secundus that made him incredibly handsome. He looked... normal. He looked like an ordinary 11 year old kid.

Harry stared at the face that would have been his if he was not Septimus. The Harry in the mirror looked so happy, so innocent and carefree, without a single worry in the world. This was so unlike the real Harry. This Harry was happy, but he was also weighed down by the terrors of the past. He certainly was not innocent. He was not carefree at all- he was in charge of an entire country and to make his responsibility even heavier, he was the Commander of the Elemental Army. He carried a name, title and the power of a powerful being and the power he was carrying was not easy to wield. And he has worries. He worry over his brothers, he worry over his country, he worry over the Dark Lord that he knew was not dead but hiding somewhere. He has a thousand other reasons for worrying and this made him more mature, weary and adult-like despite his incredibly young age. The Harry in the mirror was not like him in any way and the real Harry felt envious of the other one in the mirror.

Sickened by his raging thoughts and the sight of the Harry that could have been him, he tried to turn away from the mirror but the appearance of a few more people made him stop to look again at the glassy surface.

Avery appeared beside him. Avery was laughing, his brown eyes crinkling up in happiness. He turned to Harry in the mirror and gave him a huge grin before draping an arm around the younger twin's shoulders. They were now grinning so widely that the Harry watching them was surprised that their mouths did not split from the exertion.

Suddenly, a woman stood behind the joyful twins, causing Harry to look up to her face. She was beautiful. She had long red hair that fell past her shoulders. Her red hair reminded him of the autumn sun, so breathtaking. Her sweet mouth was pulled up slightly at its corners as she looked longingly at him. Two pairs of identical green eyes met each other and Harry's breath hitched in his throat. Her eyes were filled with love and pride as she gazed at him. They spoke of a thousand different nameless emotions. Harry could not look away from her face, especially her green eyes that stood out from her pale complexion.

His mom held out a hand in front of her and Harry stepped forward, closer to the mirror. His short, ragged breaths were causing water droplets to form on the cold mirror. He held out a hand and slowly pressed it to his mother's hand. His hand was still smaller than hers and his breathing became more rapid. He could feel the warmth from her hand as he pressed his against hers. He looked up at his mom with wide eyes. His mom was now crying, her tears spilling from her eyes and trickling down her cheeks but she was still smiling. The hand that she pressed to the mirror clenched slowly, like she was trying to grab his hand and hold it in hers.

But her hand just clenched into a fist and now, Harry's hand was covering her fist, hiding it from view.

It hit him hard, as though someone dropped a huge, heavy rock on his head. He pulled his hand away abruptly from the mirror and tore his gaze away from the mirror. He felt so unbalanced, so disturbed. His core was shaken so much that when Harry turned his back to the mirror, the room seemed to be like in a daze. He was shaking like a leaf caught in a hurricane. The emotions coursing through his body were a jumbled bunch, all of them running at the same time for any of them to be differentiated. They were electrifying and it was scaring him. He never felt these kind of emotions before and they were unwelcomed to him. He wanted them gone.

Shaking his head to clear out any thoughts, he begun to run as fast as he could, away from the mirror. His heart ached and called for him to return and stay with the family in the mirror that his heart truly wanted but his mind knew better. What he saw was just a temptation, a dream that he had to wake up from. He could never return to the mirror, not unless he could control his heart and make sure this incident would not happen again.

He ran all the way back to the Slytherin dormitories. While his pounding feet and head gave some peace to his emotions, his mind and heart still ached. And his hand was cold from the glass of the mirror. It was never warm.

* * *

Avery ran like the wind away from the library, his hands clenched around the Invisibility Cloak so it would not fly away from him as he rushed away from the caretaker hunting him. He cursed under his breath as he hurriedly made his way to one of the most deserted places in the school in hopes that Filch and his crazy cat wouldn't find him there.

When he stepped into the corridor, he spied an open doorway and immediately ran into it, not realising how odd it was for a door to be left open at this time of the night.

When he went in, the first thing he saw was a large mirror. "What on earth...?" he whispered disbelievingly as he neared it.

He stood in front of it, surprised to see himself in the mirror despite the fact that he was still covered by the Cloak. He looked the same as he usually do- a wide smile on his face, twinkling brown eyes that imitated his father, messy red hair that was so dark that it was bordering on black. But Avery noticed a different quality to his reflection. He looked much more joyful and his eyes were much more brighter than he thought it should be. The boy in the mirror seemed to glow in a positive aura, as though he never ever felt the pain of the world before. Although the boy looked exactly the same as Avery, there was a large difference between the two, signifying to Avery that the person in the mirror could never be him.

Then he realised that there were three other people in the mirror, behind the Avery in the mirror. He glanced at them and his breath stopped.

There was his father, grinning out at him. He looked positively dashing and his brown eyes were shining. He had no worry lines on his face nor did he had any sign of sadness etched into his skin. His father looked much more happier than Avery could ever remember.

Beside him, with his arm wrapped around her waist, was a beautiful woman with red hair. She too was smiling at him. Avery looked into the green eyes and felt a tug at his heart. He remembered those eyes. They were so beautiful and shone out love and hope that he felt that he could stare into them forever. He knew that this woman was his mother, the mother he lost when he was only a year old. Eventhough he could not remember her completely, he remembered her soothing touch, her brilliant smile and the warmth that radiated out from her.

But those eyes reminded him of someone else. Someone who he had just met, for they remained at the surface of his memory. But he could not place a finger on who that person was, only the feelings that came with him seeing those eyes. He felt love and joy but at the same time, he felt coldness and fury. The large gap between those feelings confused him to no end. How can one pair of eyes incite two different sets of feelings? It did not make sense. He raked his brains for an explanation but there was none that he could find. But somehow, he knew that he already knew the answer; only that it was hidden deep within the folds of his grey matter.

His eyes were drawn to the last person in the mirror and was shocked. The person was shrouded in shadows and it did not show Avery who that person was. All he saw was the pair of green eyes that was identical to his mother's, staring out at him. Avery stared into those eyes and again he felt the tug at his heart. Deep in his gut, he knew that the person in the mirror was the person connected to the feelings he received when he remembered those green eyes. But the person in the mirror was covered in shadows, just like the memory in Avery's mind.

Avery looked at his family in the mirror, plus the unknown person. His heart ached. The family he always wanted was so close, yet impossible to touch or recreate. The horrifying events of Halloween ten years ago had left its mark on the people in the mirror. His mother was dead, never to be revived. His father was not the rambunctious prankster of a man that he was before his wife passed. Avery was never the same after the attack. He had grown without the loving care of a mother, only his father and despite the fact that his dad did all he could to make Avery have a happy life, Avery still felt the hole in the life he had. The one that was supposed to be filled by his mother.

But there was another gap in him that he never could understand. Whenever he felt depressed by anything, he felt that hole in him throb with pain. It was not the hole left by the death of his mother. It was just there for a very long time although he had no idea who or what caused it. All he could remember was how he used to feel great happiness and a certain sense of comfort when that hole was not there.

Avery stepped away from the mirror, his heart racing and beating hard against his chest as though it wanted to jump out and join the perfect family that existed in the mirror. He placed a hand on his heart, trying to still it as he stepped further away from the mirror. He could not bear to see the family he would never have any longer. He turned away from it so as not to see their smiling faces as they waved at him.

Holding back tears of longing, Avery ran away from the mirror. He did not need a reminder of the great loss he had in his life and he did not need to remember that he had so many questions about his life that he had no idea who to ask for the answers. All he wanted was to forget and the first step to doing that was to flee from that enchanted mirror that showed him what he truly wanted, but what he could never receive.

* * *

"Wow Avery," Ron exclaimed, looking at his best friend. "You look terrible!"

Avery ignored him, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He could not sleep at all. The images from the mirror haunted him throughout the night. Every time he closed his eyes in an attempt to sleep, they came into view. He had to stay up all night, wishing them to be gone, to leave him alone although deep in his heart, he still wanted them to appear every time he closed his eyes.

Ron looked worriedly at his friend as the two of them trudged off to the Great Hall for breakfast.

As they reached the doors to the Great Hall, they bumped into Septimus. Ron glared at him, ready to curse the Slytherin into oblivion but Avery was staring at Septimus hard. The usually cool and collected Slytherin looked rather weary and his face was showing great signs of tension and pain. Avery could not help but wonder if he himself looked just as bad as his self-made rival.

Then Septimus looked into Avery's eyes. The eye contact shocked Avery. Septimus' green eyes were so familiar and it was pulling a memory in his mind that he could not recall.

But before Avery could say anything or try to do anything, Septimus' eyes widened for a moment and looked away. He pushed his way into the Great Hall, ignoring Ron who was about to yell at him and went straight to the Slytherin table.

Avery watched the back of the boy that he despised but was able to make him feel feelings that he thought was long gone. He wondered how he could figure out the mystery behind the both of them. It was blurry but Avery knew that Septimus had a connection to these feelings but he somewhat refused to believe that incredulous idea. How could that Slytherin ever be connected to him in any way?

Avery turned away from watching the Slytherin and walked towards the Gryffindor table, leaving Ron spluttering in indignation at the entrance.

* * *

**I don't feel good about the ending but my mind just went blank after that. Hope you liked this chapter and I really do hope all of you would continue to review and support this story! I can tell you safely that it will take a very long time before I update again but I would not abandon this story so I really do hope you will all bear with my slower-than-snail speed and keep reading!**

**So please review for this chapter! I appreciate all comments! Thanks! **

**~Rin xoxo**


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